After May
by Duplicitywistful
Summary: After the war, the Lupins had to figure out how to live. M for mature content. Tonks and Remus survive AU. I don't own Harry Potter or these characters, so quick disclaimer. Currently being revised and added to in between and to the end. I decided to creat a new fic that will be the "new" redone version of this story. I'm sorry for this massive confusion.
1. Waiting Around I

May 2nd, 1998

 _"…I'm sorry- wait, wait, no- I-"_

Those were the last words Andromeda Tonks heard coming out of the radio broadcast of _Potterwatch_ before she found herself sitting alone in her living room, suddenly acutely aware of every minuscule detail around her. The newborn that was laid on the quilt she kept on the couch was breathing heavily. Her hand swept over his head. Her own daughter, Nymphadora, was born completely bald. That's what was so shocking about finding out that she was a metamorphmagus. Andromeda's grandson, however, had a large headful of hair for a baby and sometimes, if he was in a deep enough sleep, his hair would slightly shift colours. He probably had no knowledge of that though, come to think of it.

"I'm too young to be a grandma," Andromeda murmured to herself as she got to her feet. Of course, that was sort of her fault for running away from home at seventeen to have a baby out of wedlock. It was a bit odd to consider the fact that she was still only five years older than her son-in-law. But at least he was a good man or a relatively decent prick depending on one's frame of reference.

Andromeda's home was filled with ghosts. At, say, 3 o'clock in the morning, it only felt as though she was staying up rather late. At almost five, it seemed to shift drastically to a point that she could have sworn she saw the eyeballs in the portraits on the walls watching her as she walked by them, faces staring at her from the other side of the windows, death eaters lurking behind each wall. She found herself wandering aimlessly, trying to distract herself from the fears she knew she had, but were muffled in her head with exhaustion by tidying the shoes that cluttered the front door so she wouldn't have to make painful eye contact with the picture of her dead husband that was smiling above the kitchen. Her son-in-law needed new shoes, and Andromeda made a mental note to buy him some for Christmas. Her daughter was just as likely to get some as her trainers looked well beyond their time as well. A crumpled pink sock was hiding in the corner alongside a dust-bunny. The whites in the eyes of Andromeda's wedding photos seemed shockingly bright. She quickly switched on the light so that the spectral faces would stop staring into her. She could let herself drift off from time to time, but the baby always startled her awake again.

Andromeda was on her…fourth cup of coffee? No, wait, fifth. She didn't even particularly care for coffee, she just wanted to do anything to keep herself alert. Stopping by the sink, she splashed warm water on her face, gazing at the abyss that was the garbage disposal. How long was she supposed to wait before knowing that something was wrong? At what point was she supposed to throw up her hands and say that there wasn't any hope left for survivors? The coffee in the pot was stale and cold, layers of rings staining the glass. Andromeda emptied it into her mug anyways, topping it off with a healthy amount of sugar and milk. The rim was sticky from her repeated sips of it. The dishes from dinner the night before were still beside the sink. It could have taken her a few moments to wave her wand and send them back into the cupboard, clean, but she couldn't find the energy within herself to do so. Her body was in survival mode, and in a way, washing the dishes seemed pointless. How had the night before been so calm? So normal? There was no terrible foreboding weather, no worrisome news on the radio. Andromeda fixed pasta for dinner and Tonks and Remus were cuddled up on the couch with a blanket and the remains of a pint of ice cream Andromeda had gotten them as a gift during one of her last grocery runs. Remus took a shower, Tonks put the baby to bed after feeding him for a final time… everything was so... _fine_. Everything was where it was supposed to be.

She counted up all of the scenarios in which she would have to go to the Ministry of Magic to identify bodies. Her daughter or son-in-law, her sisters, the lovely woman who always gave her discounts at the apothecary when the war began, or one of the old healers from St. Mungo's who she worked under for several years and even delivered her daughter. Since the war, the entire family was on lockdown. No working. No socializing. No going back to the flat Tonks and Remus owned (though Andromeda suspected Tonks was coercing her husband to continue paying the monthly bills). Andromeda grew their food in the garden and only went out to muggle supermarkets late at night for necessities.

The sun was peeking over the horizon but was still hidden far behind the trees, only showing enough light to send the sky into a multitude of colours. Pinks, purples, oranges, and blues fought like a renaissance painting… the sky looked like candy floss. It looked like her daughter's hair. Andromeda caught herself staring out the small kitchen window for a while. At least until baby Teddy began crying. Andromeda fixed his bottle, wrapping him back up in the blanket she had knitted around Christmas time for him, and settled back with him on the sofa. He was only about two weeks old. What was Andromeda thinking in letting her daughter go to war? She lost so much blood during the delivery, she was even still complaining about it alongside the lingering pain, and she nearly couldn't walk for almost one of those two weeks. And now she thinks she can hold a wand and fire spells at people who are aiming at her with the equal intent to kill? She wasn't even ready to go back to heavy lifting yet. Andromeda couldn't do anything now though. She should have stopped her, she should have stopped her, why would the most hard-headed woman in the universe have said she was just going after her husband, she should have stopped her- Now it was Andromeda's turn to cry. There weren't tears coming out yet, but she caught herself hunched over the baby as she burped him, breathing as if she had just tried to run a marathon. It felt like there was a hand squeezing everything out of her heart and onto the living room floor.

Once she caught up to the world around her, the static still poisoning the radio and thus the rest of the living room, Andromeda attempted to conduct herself. She carried her less than pleasant coffee in one hand and her grandson in the other out to the front porch. Teddy enjoyed being rocked and seemed to enjoy the outdoors. Andromeda didn't feel they were old enough to own any rocking chairs yet, but the large bench swing did just fine. The sun was getting over the trees now. The neighborhood was awakening to go and get their newspapers, leave for work, or walk their pompous little dogs. The clouds were pale orange now, tinted with yellow. Teddy stirred in his sleep, showing off a bubbly yawn to his grandmother. The Tonks' house was at the end of a cul-de-sac, more secluded from the others with large hedges and fencing to hide what used to be a whirlwind of pink hair that was born here, and would surely soon be a whirlwind of Teddy's own colour of choice (though Andromeda did sincerely hope that the Lupins would get to move out and find their own place again, as sticking around only meant the worst). When Andromeda ran away, she told Ted all she ever wanted was a quiet house in the countryside, but they made suburbia work. She still wasn't too happy about the gaping muddy hole in her gardenias from a particular flying motorcycle. The banister on the porch was rotting, if only to oaf had wrecked into that, she could have made Ted plead with the insurance company to get a new one. But instead, the gardenias saw to their end. It was frankly the uglier of the two muddy gardens, though having a body-sized grave was still in the competition and was slightly more unnerving than the uprooted flowers.

But that was a story for another time.

"Oh goodness, I know," Andromeda cooed. It was an unusually warm day and the air was almost beginning to grow sticky. She took the infant out of his blanket and propped him up on her chest. He was seemingly more alert to his surroundings than usual, but also looked as if he could fall back asleep at any second if he changed his mind. "Mummy and Daddy should be home soon. They've been gone for long enough, don't you agree? Poor mummy's probably not too happy with her feet all swollen. I wouldn't be surprised if she makes your daddy carry her all the way home." Andromeda tried not to think up all the other reasons he would be carrying her body up to the front steps.

The postman was making his rounds in the cul-de-sac. He seemed to take ages to make it up to the porch. He was an older, nameless, faceless man, who was always a bit too chatty. "Good morning, Mrs. Tonks! Lovely morning, don't you think?"

"Wonderful weather," Andromeda replied, her head turning up to the sky. "I thought it was meant to rain."

The man was awfully interested in the baby. "Now don't tell me I missed out on your little one, eh?" He smiled.

"Oh no, not mine. My daughter's. Two weeks old. Named him after his grandfather, of course." She laughed nervously.

"Well tell the happy her I said congrats, will you?"

"Oh, certainly." Andromeda's smile wavered. He leaned over to hand her the mail and she took it, which consisted of two beauty magazines, a bill, and a reminder to make an appointment with the dentist.

"You look good nonetheless, Ma'am."

She was putting herself in a defensive position over the baby. His hair was brown for now, but of course, his mother's always changed around muggles at an inopportune time, so why shouldn't her son's? "Stay safe out there, do you hear?"

"Of course, Mrs. Tonks." He waved. "And tell your husband I said hello, will you?"

Did Ted even know the postman? Were Ted still alive, Andromeda would probably have watched her husband come out to greet the postman and have some story to tell about how they met and became friends, which would somehow surprise Andromeda, despite the fact Ted seemed to be "good old friends" with everyone. Oh, what did it even matter?

"Of course." Andromeda waved. "Have a good rest of the day."

"You as well, Ma'am!" The postman replied.

Andromeda waited for him to disappear behind the shrubbery before letting out a long sigh.

Cars passed by as people began to go to work, and now Andromeda's heart was pounding hard in her chest. Please don't let it be the Ministry, don't let it be the aurors... She was left alone with her thoughts except for her grandson and she was fit to be tied with paranoia, wondering what the hell was going on. She should've gone. She should have made her daughter stay with the baby, but hell, Tonks couldn't stay out of trouble for five minutes even if she tried. Time ticked by so slowly it made it feel as if every second, her insides were on fire and she had to sit as still as she could until it passed.

A large truck drove by in front of the house, supposedly going to deliver a large package to one of the neighbours, and Andromeda's eyes vacantly watched as a group of men were trying to unload a sofa into someone's garage. In a split second, two figures appeared on the other side of the street. She didn't notice as they approached the house, until they were right up to the porch.

Both figures looked startled. The man was leaning awkwardly on the shoulder of the woman, unable to put weight on his foot. His face was grey and tired, his hair in need of being brushed. He had time to throw on clothes. The woman had her dark brown hair sloppily piled atop her head. She was in a heavy sweatshirt and jacket to hide what remained from her pregnancy, with sweatpants and boots with untied laces. Her hand was cramped up like a claw and wrapped in heavy bandages. Cuts, scrapes, and bruises freckled the both of them. They were sweating and covered in grime and dust.

Andromeda shot out of her seat, her wand at the ready. "Where the hell have you two been? I've been worried sick for hours!"

Tonks laughed nervously, looking over at her husband, whose weak smile only amounted to a well-placed grimace. "Yeah, about that, actually... we were at Mungo's. The only reason they let us leave was because we're some of the better off looking ones." Remus winced, his eyes squinting.

Andromeda finally lowered her wand. She dropped it on the ground as she ran over to her her daughter. "I thought you were dead. I thought-"

"I'm okay, Mum." Tonks said. Both of them were weeping in each other's arms now. "Can I hold Teddy? I'd like to see him."

"Here, be gentle, and hold his head-" Andromeda coaxed as she handed on the baby.

Tonks' knees gave away and she crumbled into what was almost an upright fetal position in the step, the baby clutched close to her. She was sobbing now and babbling something to him incomprehensibly.

"Aren't you supposed to ask the security-" Remus started to argue in an exhausted voice.

"Lupin, I'm not about to fight you into this house, because you know damn well who'll win." Andromeda's voice faltered. "So tell me, are you a death eater?"

"No." He swallowed with wide eyes. "Are you?"

"No." Andromeda nodded. There was an awkward pause and she threw her arms around the man. "I'm glad you're alive just as much."

"Oh, don't kid, Andy." Remus tried to joke, but he was both emotionally and physically crushed by the mother's hug.

"You're my son, Remus." Andromeda mustered. She tried to regain her composure as she stepped back to retrieve her wand. "So maybe you best come inside, quick, before I stand here with the door open long enough to let the real death eaters inside."

"Dora," Remus croaked. He reached down to touch his wife's shoulder. "Let's go in. I'd like to lie down as soon as possible. I got hit in the head with a bad hex... hospital's only giving out pain medicine to the worst ones there."

"I'll find you something." Andromeda promised. The two helped Tonks up the front steps and inside the house. "I'd obviously love to hear about everything that happened, but you two need showers and rest. Did they feed you at the hospital?" Her daughter sniffled and shook her head. "I thought not. You ought to have something in your stomach if you're going to take anything, you know."

"Thank you." Remus nodded. Andromeda was fumbling around in the cabinets for something and the gas stove was already on. Tonks was wiping away her tears and snot and he used his sweater sleeve to help her.

"I thought you liked that sweater." Tonks chuckled.

"What, you think I won't burn it after that mess last night?" He replied. Her hair was sticking up in the front almost like overly teased bangs that Remus pushed out of the way to see her face. He ran his thumb over her cheek. "We made it."

She nodded in affirmation, closing her eyes. "Yeah." Her eyes were droopy and dark like her mother, though Tonks' left eye had a swollen purple around it. Her throat was purple, distinct finger marks cupping her neck like a glass of water. Her right hand was also severely bruised under her sleeve; it had been broken earlier that morning, along with almost all of her fingers, and despite proper medical attention, it still sported a bright purple blemish.

Remus sported a similar attire to his wife: blood caked on his nose and down his cheek, a long cut stretched from his ear, down his cheek to the side of his mouth, and bruises littered his face and body in similar manner to his wife. He looked like he was one square-on hit away from having a nose to match Dumbledore.

"Now may not be my place nor time," Andromeda chimed in, a package of bacon in her hand. "But who was there? Who did you see? Who did you fight?"

"Well for one, Harry was-"

"It's okay, I knew about Harry from the radio." Andromeda said. "I mean... _who did this to you?"_

Tonks took a shaky breath. "It was Bellatrix. She was the one to come after me. I knew it, we all knew it, she had a plan the whole fucking time to-" Her bad hand was visibly clenched and shaking and Tonks looked like she might cry again

Andromeda's entire face dropped, mumbling, "Just like Sirius... like your father..."

"Yeah." Tonks choked on her tears, trying to hide them by facing her husband. Remus reached over, taking her by the hand that (wasn't purple) was holding the baby.

"My god, Dora... What did she do to you?" Her mother asked in a quiet voice, her hand resting on her chest, fiddling with the collar of her shirt.

"She just knocked me around, Mum, it's fine, I'm fine-"

"She used Crucio, didn't she?"

"It's no different from two years ago at the Ministry. She beat me around, broke my hand, and I'm fine now." Tonks jabbered, completely avoiding a straight answer.

Andromeda shook her head. "I knew you shouldn't have become an auror. I knew that bitch would come after you and try to kill you. She did it to Sirius, she did it to Ted-"

"Mum, I'm alright, I swear." Tonks urged. "I-I was the one who... who..."

Remus caught on that Now was a good time to cut in. "Andromeda, Dora took care of her. I saw the body. Bellatrix can't hurt anyone else." He assured. "And Dora... Dora-"

He didn't know what to say to her, or even, what to say _about_ her to appease her mother. Her nightmares were awful enough before the battle, Remus knew things would only get worse from there.

The three stopped talking over each other, the only audible noise in the kitchen was the gurgles of the baby. Tonks' stomach tied itself in knots, forcing her to abandon the invitation to breakfast.

"Who else died?" Andromeda asked.

"Antonin Dolohov. I know for certain Greyback went down, as well as Snape, and of course... You-know-who." Remus actually winced saying it aloud, but he remembered what had happened the last time. "I knew several of the students that went down. Fred Weasley, Lavender Brown, to name."

Andromeda shook her head, busying herself with the stove. "Poor Molly. Can't have been easy on her. None of them, but her especially. And George, of course."

No one knew exactly to say, but subconsciously or not, they all had the same thought. It seemed so surreal, they all wondered if it was just a dream, or a hallucination caused by their lack of sleep, though no one said anything about it.


	2. Nightmares

**AN: I promised myself that I would refrain from using any ANs while writing, but after I unarchived this story... I noticed a bunch of view and frankly I'm sorry to the people who have long been awaiting an update on this redo or a new chapter... or... I dunno, if you're new here? I'm not quite sure yet how to make all of this work because I want to insert some stuff without screwing up the whole order of things, otherwise I would have moved the sequel stuff over already. And just as a final reminder, I would like to take my time with each chapter just because these are redos. Also, if this wasn't obvious, because I'm changing some things, reading a redo chapter and then continuing on may make less sense because I'm breaking rules in terms of ""canon"" here. Thanks for your patience!**

Tonks was fumbling with the key to the apartment, their suitcases sitting on the floor beside her. It was cramped for two people with a baby and their suitcases, but they figured for now the apartment would have to work. At least it was warm in the winter and wasn't moldy. After leaving in such a hurry, everything has to be left were it was, down to the milk in the fridge to a coffee cup on the counter.

Her wrapped hand didn't help with the precise maneuvering. "You still think they didn't change the locks?"

"Positive," Remus replied, looking around the hallway. Teddy was asleep in his carrier, one of the only nice baby things the couple had the chance to splurge on.

"You're absolutely positive?" She challeneged. "You took care of _everything_ after you dropped me off at Mum and Dad's?"

"When you went to your parents' house, I made sure that everything was taken care of if we had to be gone for a long time. Or if your parents' house was no longer safe, if we came home and had to leave again on a short notice... I wanted to make sure that you still had somewhere to live. I took care of the money and all, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Come to think of it, we never talked about where you went. Or what ever happened to your nose." She pointed out, now focusing directly on him and not the door. "Where you stayed before you came and hunted me down. Never said what that was all about."

"I didn't realize that we needed to talk about that." Remus said. "I think that's your office key, not the one for the flat."

"Right." She was still suspicious, but Tonks nodded briefly and switched the key on her lanyard and wiggled it key hard and it unstuck, but as she went to grab the handle, she flinched as he picked up his suitcase and took a step forward. "Shit... wait a second, Remus-" she turned to him with wide eyes. "My Bubbling Houseleeks."

"Sorry, your... what?"

"Bubbling Houseleeks." She said. "You know, that large thing I put on the kitchen window that sort of looks like a fern? It's got... little green balls growing on it. Like walnuts, you know what I'm talking about-" She looked up at the ceiling and huffed. "I haven't trimmed them in what, nine months?"

"What's wrong with them?" Remus asked.

Tonks clenched her hand. "Yeah, so they basically can be, hmm, as large as my fist probably before they, you know, _explode."_

"Sorry, _explode?"_ Remus asked. "When you say _explode,_ what sort of _exploding_ are you referring to? Fire? Acid?"

"Pus, actually," Tonks stared up at the ceiling. Her husband made a face. "They can sort of knock someone out, you know when they first... explode. And then they rot and it ferments and-"

"Lovely, is it toxic?"

"I _hope_ not." She murmured. "I mean, _long term._ If you leave it alone... I don't know. You're supposed to clear them out before they burst and supposedly if too many of them grow too big-"

"Dora."

"Let me finish first- The bad part is that they grow like mushrooms. I don't know how well we can clean them up. Goddamn things... goddamn it..." Tonks was very quickly losing her temper and was beginning to beat herself up over it. She quite literally swung her foot at the shut door.

Remus looked around. "Well... hang on, first, we should leave Teddy here so that he can't be breathing anything in."

"No, wait, we can't do that! I absolutely do not want to do that! We can't leave him alone out here." She protested.

"Dora, it will only take a few seconds to Scourgify the kitchen." He assured her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "We'll be quick, come on. He'll be alright for just a moment."

 _"Remus,"_

His wife looked at him with astonishment. "Have you gone completely _mad?_ He's a month old and you want to leave him alone and-"

"It's not like we're out in the open." Remus gestured to the small hallway. There were only about half a dozen doors on that particular floor, if that.

"You're going to need a hand, won't you?" He insisted. "No one's going to come and scoop him up in the little bit of time it will take us to get this sorted out."

Tonks huffed. "I shouldn't have left that stupid plant here. I didn't think we would be gone as long as we were-"

"It's okay." Remus said optimistically. "Look, we'll leave the door open. I just don't want him near anything that might get him sick."

"I don't want to leave him exposed like this."

"Would you rather him get _poisoned?"_

"No." She said firmly, drawing out her wand. "Fine. Set him in the doorway, and put our bags out in the hall."

"Good choice." Remus nodded. "He's asleep. He'll be fine, love."

Mail was piled up behind the door, almost to a point that she couldn't push it open, and there was a strong rotten smell coming from inside. Tonks pulled her shirt up over her nose and Remus's face scrunched up and he used his sleeve to cover his face. Remus drew his own wand. He quickly made note of a dead mouse lying not too far away and flicked it away.

Tonks gave a saddened sigh. Her beloved houseplant was now a dull brownish-green that had taken root on the kitchen counter, and as suspected, the seeds on it had exploded, and each one had a newer, smaller plant sprouting out of it. The problem was that there were dozens of them, all sprawled across the length of the small kitchen. It almost looked like a greenhouse.

"Seriously?" She whispered. "I don't water you and you still manage to take over my kitchen?" The smell was apparently tolerable enough to drop her shirt as she began chiseling away at the smaller plants with a knife she procured from the knife block. She couldn't quite explain how they got any amount of nutrients from this but since the plant itself looked to be growing like mold, she just bothered herself with unhinging it from the counters.

Remus was carefully exaiming the corners of the apartment. The curtains and widows were dusty and the floor would need thorough cleaning. He flicked his wand towards the fireplace and the dust lifted itself off, disappearing into thin air. He cleared out the flies and the gnats. Teddy was still sound asleep, grunting and cooing, his tiny feet squirming and kicking. His hair was changing colours.

Having Teddy around was nerve-wracking. On top of the now lingering fear that he could be taken, crushed, squashed, dropped, forgotten, or become fatally ill under any given circumstances, they had no one but themselves around to handle him. Andromeda was a nice safety net to have around, but now was a free-for-all for the new couple. They hadn't even planned where they were going to put his bed yet. The first step was probably _acquiring_ a bed, actually, and then figuring out how to assemble it. For now, his carrier was going to have to suffice. They were lucky enough to havea second bedroom, though it was really more of a glorified closet and was currently being used as such. However, it wasn't like Tonks was too keen on being separated from the baby throughout the night. Andromeda assures them that he would start keeping them up more and that they would hear him, but there was always the fear of _what if they didn't?_

Tonks glanced towards Remus, then the baby. Her hands were full of the plant. She carried to over to the trash, heaving and gagging as she opened the lid. "Really glad to be home, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't rather be anywhere else." He grinned. "Scourgify." The remains of the moldy-looking plant slowly vanished into the air and dissipated. "You get Teddy, I'll clear out the rubbish and the dishes."

Teddy must have been on the verge of being hungry because his eyes were wide open when he saw his mother. "Here, little guy, let's get you out of there." Tonks dramatically groaned as she scooped up the baby. He gurgled, his large eyes staring off around the room. She propped him up on her chest. "What do you think, huh? This is your home now. Yeah, this is where Daddy and I _really_ live. We'll have to get your room cleaned out and set up in the next couple of days..."

"Dora, the poor little guy can't even see anything in front of his face yet." Remus said. He put his hand against her back, hoping he wasn't overstepping any of her boundaries. His wife didn't care, even turning so that he could get a better look at the baby. The corners of her lips upturned and she was no longer looking at the baby. Remus let Teddy make a fist around his finger, even if he didn't know what that meant.

"Well he's looking at _something."_ She suggested. Everything about this tiny human was fascinating to her. "Maybe he sees _ghosts_ that we can't see, I dunno."

"Maybe." Remus chuckled. "Okay, next order of business after we wash _everything_... I say we toss everything in the fridge. I wouldn't trust any of it at this point."

"Probably be best not to open it, just blow it up or something." Tonks joked. "I agree. I we could start on a grocery list. We still have food in the pantry to last us a few days."

"We'll have to make a budget." Remus said thoughtfully. "Figure what's most important right now. Probably formula and diapers, but we've still got to eat... I don't think it'll be eggs and rice, but it might be close."

"A couple of pieces of fruit aren't going to send up into poverty." Tonks remarked. Her husband was giving her a frustrated look. "We can pay Mum back if we need-"

"We owe her enough already."

"I know, I know, but c'mon, fresh bananas? We haven't hardly eaten any fresh fruit in the past year, what do you want me to say?" Tonks said. "She doesn't mind, really. She's offered a million and a half times to help us out if we ever need it. We need to take it." Remus began to protest before his wife cut him off. "Look, we can't be completely selfless all the bloody time or we're going to starve. We've got to get back on our feet."

He inhaled sharply through his nose. "Alright, I hear you."

"Good." She raised her eyebrows at him. "It's about time."

They spent the afternoon searching every nook and crannie for cobwebs to clean out yet they always seemed to forget about the ones hiding in plain sight. They had to hunt down a mouse, which Tonks refused to kill, and Remus did anyway, sending his wife promptly to tears. They washed laundry and started on emptying out the spare bedroom for Teddy. Dinner had to be dry spaghetti with canned tomatoes. Neither were quite brave enough to face the refrigerator yet.

Tonks slept surprisingly sound given the events of the week they had. There were funerals and memorials and receptions almost every day. Now simply didn't feel like a good time to be introducing a new baby to everyone they knew, but the one's who lost the most we're the one's who needed to hold him the most. They were doing laundry every day as Tonks was constantly finding something new to spill all over the only black dress that she owned, and the only appropriate funeral attire she could still fit into. Remus was a bit of a different story in terms of sleep, sleeping at odd hours of the day and frequently burying himself under pillows at soon as it was ten o'clock. Despite this, he was always instinctively the first on his feet when Teddy began whining or crying.

When Tonks fell into a deep enough sleep, her hair would go brown. She was tired enough to dream, leaving her short hair in its natural state. Remus was awake next to her, watching as her eyelids twitched, occasionally with her eyebrows knitting together or the corners of her mouth flinching. The migraines and the baby were throwing off his sleep schedule. It was a bit scary watching her body twitch without her having any sense of alertness as to what was going on around her. Remus gently rubbed his hand over her head, playing with and smoothing out her hair. Occasionally, Remus would twist his finger around a strand of hair and when he pulled back, would naturally curl itself up. The veins in her face were dark purple behind her her eyelids and her skin was cold when he pulled her close to him, kissing her forehead.

She had always been a noisy sleeper, but she was a mostly noisy person when concious too. She must have been feeling safe enough to let herself let go of her insecurity. He held her head and matched his breathing to hers, lying still enough to feel her heartbeat. Remus wasn't too proud to admit that quite recently, the two of them had been fighting to a point where they weren't sleeping in the same bed. They had so many things they needed to work out still and Remus was worried it would all come to a head now that the war was mostly over.

Her hair used to change in her as often as their son's did, and it still did on occasion, but mostly laid limp and dull against the pillow. Remus kissed her temple lovingly and nuzzled the top of her head, burying his face in her hair. It was beginning to change again. In the dark bedroom, Remus couldn't quite make out what the colour was, except it became darker. It went black, short strands growing and curling tightly. Tonks' whole body began to squirm, still unconscious and unaware, but still with force. Her legs were unusually restless, like she was coming to a wake.

"...Dora?" Remus whispered. "Are you awake?"

Tonks woke up in a gasp, sitting up, limbs thrashing in the bed. Her eyes were wide open, staring around the room in confusion. Her hand reached up to touch her hair, but it changed back to it's regular style and colour. "Rem- what-" she panted, looking over at him. Her hand was already reaching for her wand in the drawer next to her. "Are you okay? What happened? What time is it?"

"It's... shit, you were kicking me again." Remus huffed, sitting up. His shins were slowly turning yellow, green, and purple. "Damn, calm down, please. You had a nightmare."

Tonks sighed, slumping back onto her pillow, clutching her injured hand. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Remus. I'm so sorry..."

"Don't apologize. Dora, just... what's wrong?" Remus asked, gently approaching his wife.

"I'm... I'm fine." She shook her head, despite still visibly upset. She leaned over, looking at the clock. "It's almost twelve, okay... I thought it had to be later..."

He paused, reaching over for her hand. "You can always talk to me, you know that."

Tonks looked around the room and rubbed her hand. Tonks nodded, pushing the sheets back. "I'm going to check on him real fast." She got up to go out, but stopped herself, turning back to Remus. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Remus assured her. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Tonks nodded. Her body was slow and heavy to rise, her feet unsure of their placement and stumbling over each other. She rested her hand on the wall and crept along the wall to find Teddy asleep at the end of the bed. Remus turned the lamp on and watched his wife as she tried her best to swaddle the sleeping baby in his yellow knitted blanket. She rocked him gently in her eyes, gazing down at his face. Teddy was still and quiet, except for his heavy, nasally snores. She took him over to the lone chair in their bedroom and sat for a while, watching the baby's hair flicker between colours as he dreamed. He was safe. No one hurt him. No one got hurt. It wasn't real.

Remus broke the silence. "What's bothering you?"

She thought for a moment. "If... Remus, do you have your wand on you?"

"No, why?" Remus asked.

Tonks snapped. "Remus, you can't let yourself get haphazard like that. "

"Calm down, it's alright." He looked at her strangely for a moment, chuckling bitterly. "'Constant Vigilence'?"

"Remus, damn you, can't you take me seriously for a second? I'm not joking." She scowled.

"I'm... sorry, I was just-"

"You-" She stopped, realizing all that she had been thinking. She groaned, turned her head and staring at the wall. Her hand hand grabbed ahold of the chair, rhythmically clenching and unclenching her hand around the arm of the chair.

Remus shook his head, walking over to her. He knelt down beside the chair, placing his hand on her knee. "You're extremely sleep deprived and you just left a war. You're caught in this cycle right now and we'll work through this."

"I just had a bad dream is all."

"No, you're just very... distant. Sporadic." He comforted. "You should start taking something to help you sleep."

"No, I'm-"

"Nymphadora..." He warned. "You can't keep this up."

"I can damn well do what I please." She remarked.

"You're going to go crazy if you keep this up." He shot back. "Something's been off since you had the baby and you won't give yourself a break."

"I don't have time for a break."

"I'm not saying you have to sleep like normal, but it's over right now. You need to give yourself time to calm down." He reached out his hand for hers. "I'm worried, love, please look at me."

She looked down at him, but something was off in her eyes. Her eyes weren't warm, but black, as if even light couldn't touch them. A sense of hostility flooded her, forcing her to draw back further, biting her lip. "It was just a dream." She lifted her head. "Just a dream, Remus."

He didn't believe her, but he didn't fight her either. All he could do was shake his head.


	3. The Godfather

"You're doing it _again_." Tonks groaned, laying back on the couch, a sheet of paper in her hands. She was glad to finally be home and _stay_ home. She hadn't spent more than a few nights at a tine in the house since she found out she was pregnant, which she realized, happened nearly a year ago. "You're _hovering._ "

"Am not." Remus snapped, sitting down beside her. "I'm simply _supervising_."

"Well you need to get off my _dick._ " She growled back at him and carefully exaimined the paper she was holding. "I think I know _damn well_ how to read!"

"Well it's not my fault you attempted to assemble the entire thing _backwards_ He shot bpack.

In the middle of their living room were the scattered pieces of an disassembled baby crib the couple had spent nearly the entire morning attempting to manually assemble, with no indication as to why they chose to do this. They had taken an intermission for a while, leaving the pieces and parts lying around the floor when Harry came knocking.

Now, an hour later, the couple had resumed their debacle after Harry, who was now sitting in the arm chair with his sleeping godson, hiding a smile behind a mug of tea, pointed out that half of it was assembled completely wrong.

Tonks rolled her eyes, sitting back up. "Let's see _you_ put the damn thing together." Remus flicked his wand, the backwards pieces coming apart and fitting back together properly. "That's _cheating_."

" _That's_ using my resources."

" _Hmm_."

Harry chimed in. "Well, I'm glad to see you two are at least on speaking terms."

She gave a dramatic sigh. " _At least._ God, Harry, and you see what I have to deal with in front of company, _oh boy_..." Remus looked over at her with a fed-up glare at first, but none of them could keep from laughing.

Harry had been scared to visit them. He knew his godson wouldn't have a clue what was happening, but he was suddenly intimidated by the fact he was practically becoming another parent to this child. He expected Tonks to be the one to answer the door, frowning, and saying something along the lines of, "Sorry, Harry, there really,was a big mix up, we didn't _actually_ mean to make you godfather. Remus got the idea, I was all high of pain medicines..."

According to how the story went went Harry asked why they picked him, the second half of his assumption wasn't wrong, but the two seemed very clear on their decision.

"Charlie's off in Romania and he was really the only other person we considered." Tonks explained, smiling. "There really was no one better for the job than you."

Harry looked at the baby, shuffling his arms. "Do you want him back?"

"If you're uncomfortable with him, I can take him." She assured, standing up from the sofa.

"Oh, I just thought maybe one of you wanted to hold him." Harry looked up at Tonks, afraid to hold out the baby, that he might drop him. "Maybe I'm wearing out my welcome?"

"Don't worry, we get plenty of time with him here." Remus shook his head. "And you're always welcome here. We really enjoy having you."

"Here," Tonks took Teddy from his godfather, fixing the blanket that was wrapped around him. "It's fine, he's probably going to be awake soon anyways to eat."

"So Tonks... what _happened_ to your hand?" Harry tried to restrain himself from making a big deal of it, but her hand was still the same colour it had been the week ago at Hogwarts. She seemed to hold weight with only a little problem, but her fingers looked almost crooked, burgundy cuts outlining the bones under her hand. She had bandage wrapped around it, but it did little to take away from her scabbed fingers.

"Bellatrix. She um," Tonks adverted her eyes, staring away at the floor. "She liked to do some experimenting with hexes, and I got the nasty end of one."

"Did you see what she did to Hermione?"

"What happened to Hermione?" Remus asked, standing up beside his wife.

"We were- it's a really long story- we ended up at Malfoy Mansion and she had Hermione and..." Harry ran his finger down his forward over the sleeve of his jacket with distracted eyes. "' _Mudblood_ '..."

Tonks looked sick, gently bouncing the baby in her arms. "That's... I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It happened." Harry tried to shrug, but he was simply at a loss for words. "She started a few days ago about how bad St. Mungo's isn't all that great with mental health patients. She's trying to get something set up soon, if either of you..."

Tonks cleared her throat. "If she needs any help writing letters to the Ministry, I got a foot in the with Kingsley."

"And I know I'm not any sort of expert," Remus threw in. "I'm really not, but I'm still here if any of your ftiends from school need to talk."

Harry nodded, smiling. "Professor, I'm sure there are plenty of your old students that wouldn't mind a friendly face, given everything that's happened."

"What happened to the Carrows? Have you heard?" Remus wondered.

Tonks sighed. "Trial. You have no clue how many people they have on hold for treason. It's incredible."

"Are you going back to work?" Harry inquired.

"In the fall, when Teddy's a little bigger."

"Do you think... do you think they're short staffed in the Auror Department?"

Tonks chuckled. "Harry, you're a sixth year. They won't take you until you have your credits, and the testing, _and_ the training. That's four years, assuming you don't flub anything." He looked defeated, disappointed and somewhat embarassed, and Tonks picked up on it. "But I think I could write a pretty impressive reccomendation, if you ask nicely."

"Would you? Please?" He looked at her hopefully and she smiled.

"I mean, there's only so many ways to write, 'he killed You-Know-Who by with his own bare hands,' but I can make it look nice. Besides, you _know_ Kingsley." She looked over at Harry, winking.

He beammed, jumping up from his seat. "Thank you so much, Tonks, really, you have no idea-"

She held up her hand, shaking her head. "You're fine, Kid." She walked him to the door, resting her hand on his back. "Just try to take care of yourself, alright, Potter?"

"Only if you do, Tonks."


	4. Dinner Ruined

Fleur looked light as a feather stamding on her toes. "Oh my goodness!" She gushed. "'e iz such a cute little baby! His name iz Teddy, yes?"

"Teddy Remus." Tonks smiled. Teddy yawned, kicking his feet at his mother's arm. "Seven weeks."

Fleur gently and joking slapped Tonks's arm, still smiling. "I said 'ou needed to invite me ov'r. He iz zo adorable."

His eyes were big and blue, seemingly endless and swimming around, trying to take in everything around him. He was beginning to become less tired and more excited to see things and meet people. His hair flashed to pale, silky blonde to match Fleur's, cooing as he tried to focus on her. Her hand balled up around her finger, clinging onto it in a fist. "Say thank you, Teddy." Tonks giggled, prompting a brief gurgle of thanks.

"Iz 'e beginning to smile yet?" Fleur asked.

"Can't quite tell, but it's still early." His mother replied. "He's a good baby. I think I'm more mentally drained than preoccupied with him."

A head poked up from the small crowd of family gathering for dinner in the Burrow. A red haired girl pushed past brothers and Order members, as well as the stray family friend that had gotten mixed into the bunch. "It's Tonks and Fleur!" She turned to her friend, a shorter girl with frizzy hair.

The two approached smiling at the sight of their old friend. "Fleur, could you take him? Here, it's alright, just watch his head now. He's very warm bodied and likes to snuggle, and he shouldn't get fussy." Tonks instructed quickly, passing her the infant.

She had been constrained to her mother's house by her then illegal pregnancy, on top of physical sickness and inability to travel. Fleur had been her confidant and friend through the last few months, as well as pitching in when Remus left the fall before. Ginny had been in school anywaus, unable to travel home for the holidays, and Hermione had been god knows where for nine months. To Tonks, she finally had a few moments where she could go back to before the war truely began to break out.

Each of the girls got seperate, tightly embracing hugs. "Tonks, I missed you so much." Ginny murmured into her shoulder.

Tonks took her by the shoulders, grinning. "I missed you too, Red, but I was busy." She nodded over to the baby Fleur was holding. "Got yourself a little nephew, now. Well, not a _real_ nephew."

"He's _so_ cute!" She squealed, going over to see the baby.

Hermione greeted Tonks with a sad smile. "Would it be weird if we hugged too?" She asked.

Tonks shook her head, hugging the girl. A strange, tingling sensation ran up through the fingers of her bad hand. "Of course it wouldn't, love."

Hermione needed the hug and subsequently clung to Tonks, to which she did not oblige. "I felt so guilty for so long. I was so worried about you and Professor Lupin. When you two fought, it broke my heart. I couldn't even _imagine_ you being a mum when all I could see you as was sad." She confessed.

"I'm... alive. Baby's alive, so I think that's all that matters anyways." Tonks tried to joke, but her voice was more serious than she intended.

"And you and Remus?"

Tonks nodded, swallowing and smiling. "We're fine, 'Mione. He's practically been glued to my side since Christmas. We kissed, we made up. We're just trying to do our bests right now. Are you handling yourself okay?"

Hermione shook her head, pulling back, a more scared look on her face. "Nightmares. I wake up, my cuts are burning. I didn't even think magical scars could feel pain, but I was so wrong. It's this unforgettable pain, like I'm locked in a shrinking closet. I'm _trapped._ " Taking a deep breath, she put a fake smile on.

Tonks's thumb ran over Hermione's cheek. "I... I know where you're coming from. I have them too."

"What are _yours_ like?"

"Poor Remus..." Tonks sighed, lowering her voice. "Let's just say, I'd reccomend watching your sleeping habits before inviting Ron into bed with you."

"Do you wake him up at night? Apparently I cry in my sleep. Like... very _loudly_. _Sobbing._ It's embarrassing." Hermione whined desperately.

She gave a small snort of laughter, nodding her head in the direction of her husband by the question. "Remus told me I'm quiet during my nightmares, but I can get physical and let's say _someone_ got a well placed _kick_ the other night."

Hermione let out a light-hearted giggle. "Oh come on Tonks, you just had a baby. Deciding to stop there already?" She teased.

Her friend rolled her eyes. "He's been just as lonely as I have. Poor Bill's going to have his head talked off by the end of the night."

"Bill iz going to what?" Fleur had become confused by the statement.

"He's going to... Well, Remus is not going to _shut up._ " Tonks translated. As expected Bill and Remus had found each other quickly in the crowd and drawn back from the chaos to the bottom of the stairs beside the kitchen. She lowered her voice. "How is Bill? How's he handling?"

Fleur pursed her lips in concern. " 'e iz... not az well az 'e'd like me to s'ink 'e iz."

Ginny had stopped her excited flutter over the baby, sobering in expression. "You should see _George_. Closed shop, moved back in... He won't hardly leave his room."

"And Charlie? Has he left yet?" Tonks asked. She took the baby back from Fleur. He was beginning to fall asleep in her arms, but fought hard to keep his eyes open.

"Went home last week." Ginny nodded. "Dad's always gone, Mum's all quiet... Percy's home, but he's _miserable_ with... with _him_ on his conscious... I don't know. It's rough."

A hand rested on Tonks's shoulder and she jolted quickly, turning around, her right fist clenching in suprise. "Fuc- hmm!" Tonks straightened up and tensed. The baby blinked his eyes open, looking all around the room.

Molly drew her hand back. "Oh, I'm sorry, Tonks, I just-"

"Get away from me!" Tonks gritted her teeth, wincing, a snarl that was a bit too loud, escaping her mouth. Her fingers dug into the baby blanket defensively and she closed her eyes. " _Don't touch me. Do not touch me."_

Molly staggered back in shock. "Tonks, I really am sorry, I didn't mean to do anything."

"Just _don't_ touch me." She snapped back.

Bill and Remus looked over from the stairs, Remus standing up and walking over with apprehension. The house didn't become quiet, but the voices seemed to lower. "Dora, what's wrong?" She tightened her fists, placing her hand over the baby. He reached his hand out to her, and her eyes softened, sucking in deep breaths.

Fleur rushed over, scanning over Tonks's face. "Do 'ou need to zit down?" She asked, both of their faces flushed.

"Tonks swayed on her feet and stared aimlessly at the floor. "I'm sorry... _I'm so sorry..."_ She mumbled, rambling incoheriently under her breath.

Remus grabbed her by the shoulders and leading her to the couch. A couple of people from the kitchen looked over, watching them. He sat down beside her, rubbing her leg that was now furiously bouncing up and down. "Dora, if you need to put the baby baby down..." He warned.

" _I'm so sorry... I mess everything up, don't I?"_ She babbled, not quite crying, but dry heaving tears. The crowd respectfully dissipated, with the exception of Fleur, who stayed on the couch with the couple until Bill pried her away. " _Molly, I'm so sorry..._ "

 **AN: Hello, readers! Just wanted to drop in. I love reading reviews and DMs, so feel free to hmu if you want to talk or suggest or critisize.**


	5. The Mysterious Woman

Dr. Warton sat at his desk, reviewing his notes in the empty office room. He picked up the tape recorder next to his hand and pressed play, his pen hovering over the paper to write down anything he missed the first time.

"I'm going to ask you some questions about yourself and I want you to answer as honestly as possible to the best if your ability. Can you do that?" His voice asked the patient.

She nodded, during the pause.

"What name do you prefer to go by?"

"Nora... Lupin. Just call me Nora." The woman replied.

"And how old are you, Nora?"

"Almost twenty-five."

"What do you do for a living? What's your education?"

"I'm in the military and I finished school when I was seventeen. I never went to any extra school."

"What part of the military are you?"

"I... I really don't want to talk too much about that. I...can't...I just work a desk on most days."

"That's alright. Have you ever been in combat?"

"Yes. Twice on a major scale."

"When were they?"

"Ninety-six and... this May."

"Whatwereyou fighting in?"

She shook her head. "I was overseas. Again, I'd prefer not to linger on this. It's not something I can talk about if I could."

"Do you have a stable job and income?"

"Yes and... sort of. I'm the main provider of the household."

"You are married?"

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Our one year anniversary is next week."

"Congratulations. And do you have any children?"

"One. He's two months old."

"Two months? I thought you said you were overseas in May."

"I was. He was born in April."

"You went back to work so soon? And into combat?"

"Yes. It was... necessary."

"There was no consideration of medical complications or health issues? Or perhaps even the mandatory maternity leave?"

"I had no choice. I asked, they let me go."

"...Right. So your son. I'm assuming it's a boy. Is he healthy? What's his name?"

"Yes he is, and his name's Edward, after his grandfather. We call him Teddy."

"How has your marriage been so far? Has your son put any strain on it?"

"We're... fine. For about the first half we fought. But we're okay now."

"Could you elaborate?"

"My husband is... well he's very sick. He was worried about the baby being sick. He was angry and guilty about it. Couldn't bear the thought. Teddy wasn't really planned, but of course we love him all the same."

"How did he handle his anger?"

"He left for a while, but like I said, we made up and Teddy's perfectly fine."

"What illness does your husband have?"

"He, um... it's in his blood."

"What's the illness called?" There was a pause. "Do you know?"

She didn't respond, sitting thoughtfully, or perhaps hesitantly.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just... it's a little sensative to talk about. It's eventually terminal. It makes him sick and weak, he's tired. Every month is a gamble for us. Chances are... he may not live to see his grandchildren."

"Your husband has cancer?"

"Yes." She answered quickly.

"Do you know how long he has left?"

"Things could go downhill fairly quickly, but he might not live to fifty."

"Why don't you tell me a little bit about him?"

The woman chuckled. "He's sweet, kind and sensative. He used to teach before things got bad. He can't hold a job, but that's not his fault. He is a bit older, fourteen years my senior and he has a lot of anxiety and self-doubt, but he's gotten better."

"Moving on, then, how's your family life?"

"My dad passed away from an accident and I've been living with my mum a lot because of Teddy. She gets lonely and likes to see him."

"Have any grandparents? Aunts? Uncles?"

The woman didn't respond right away. "My last grandparent died six years ago. There's no relationship with anyone on my maternal side and no one else on my paternal side that I've kept in touch with."

"Do you stay in touch with them?"

"You mentioned your dad dying. What happened?"

"It was... early March. Uh, he got into a bad uh, vehicle accident."

"Were the two of you very close?"

"Yes." She sounded pained. "Not that my mum and I've had it rough, but I was always his girl."

"How was your childhood?"

"I grew up here, but I never really had friends until I was a teenager, and then I was bullied."

"Bullied as in how?"

"Teased, pushed, spat on, isolated, that sort of thing."

"Why?"

She laughed. "I had pink hair and was best friends with a cute athlete."

"Are you still in touch with your friends?"

"To a degree, yes."

There was a pause. "What symptoms have you been experiencing that concern you the most?"

"Nightmares, agitation, anxiety... phantom pains in my bad hand... sadness..."

"Since your son was born, have you been able to connect with him?"

"I have, yes. I've been known to become very protective, actually. Especially when I have an episode."

"What sorts of things agitate you?"

"Usually... people touching me."

"Including your husband?"

"Sometimes, yes."

"Have you ever been sexually assaulted?"

"No."

"You've never been... inappropriately touched or anything else of the nature?"

"No... unless you count McDowell touching my ass, but even then..."

"Who is 'McDowell'?"

She shook her head. "Superior at work. Don't worry though. It happened last year."

"Did he ever get reported for harassment?"

"No, but he got arrested for a hate crime."

"Oh... Right... moving along then. Back to what I was asking. Have you been in any other relationships besides the one with your husband?"

"Yes. I've had one other serious relationship and a sweetheart back when I was in school."

"This other serious relationship you had... did it end on good terms?"

"No, she's dead now."

"What happened to her?"

"She went missing and wound up dead. We were partners at work."

"Have youeverattempted to seek out a medical professional to discuss your mental health?"

"Isn't that what I'm doing?"

The man on the recording sighed. "Okay, Nora. How's your sex life?"

"I'm... I'm not...sure... excuse me?"

"Well, do you have any strange fetishes that could impact or be caused by a mental health disorder?"

"Like what?"

"Something that could harm yourself or others."

"Ah...no..."

"What about your husband?"

"Whataboutmy husband?"

"Do you two ever fight during or because of sex? Has he ever made an irrational request or suggested you've done the same? Does he bother you about it or indicate any dissatisfaction?"

"We fought when we found out I was pregnant, but he neverblamedme for it. He'sveryinsecure about himself, so usuallyI'mthe one... you know..." She paused to gesture with her hands. "...initiating,but besides that, we're fine."

"Has the baby caused any massive issues with him?"

She sighed. "Hedid.But we'refine.We haven't exactly... um... it's probably been close to a year since we really did anythingenjoyable...but I'd say it's fairlyjustifiedwith him being fatigued and ill and the fight and me, well,pregnant."

"Are you happy with him?"

"Excuse me, are we still talking about sex or do you mean in general?"

"Either."

She paused. "Of course I'm happy. I've spent my life rejected and used by people and we've both had tremendous losses. He was very stubborn at first, but... I love him. He's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me. He's the reason I'm here with you."

The man on the tape listened, quuetly writing. "What triggers do you have?"

"Nightmares, I supppose? I don't know."

"Could you describe those?"

"It's the same stuff. My husband and my son getting killed..." Her voice grew weak. "My husband dying and leaving me unable to help him, my son being attacked. I see my Dad sometimes. He died a while back and there was nothing we could do... I see myself fighting... I see my..." She paused.

"Go on, it's okay." He assured.

"I was um, well, I wouldn't call it torture, but... back during the war there was a time when I was... attacked by a woman. She broke my hand and several of my fingers in several places. There was other stuff but... but it's the worst pain I've ever felt."

"Could you describe the woman?"

There was a pause. "She's dead. It's fine."

"Is this why you experience phantom pains?"

"Yes. It's... honestly,terrifying. I'd say I've healed well even though it's still bruised."

"Do loud noises startle you? Or things like cars and planes? Does the news cause you to become extremely upset easily?"

"Sir, if the news didn't cause anyone to be extremely upset easily, what else would they call it?"

He chuckled, both on the tape and in the present. "You've got a point there. Perhaps we can schedule another appointment and you can think about things that upset you. I can't quite make a diagnosis, but I'd say it's fair for you to have post traumatic stress, if not postpartum depression as well..."

"I'm not sure that's necessary. I think I'll just be paying you and taking your card if I need it. We're still not financially safe right now and I'd hate to make this too routine."

"Ma'am, I'm... I'm severelyworriedabout you. You've been tohell and backand you wish to discontinue treatment? If you're feeling suicidal, I can easily make arrangements to-"

"I can handle myself, Dr. Warton. If you think I need medicine, then please feel free to recommend something, but I really don't think this should go on. Andplease,stop recording m-"

The tape finished and the doctor sat at his desk, puzzled. The recording hadn't caught the last bit, where he managed to coax her down into another consultation if he could lower the rate.What a strange woman...


	6. Growing Old Together

Tonks laid in Remus' arms. Ginny and Harry had Teddy for what was their first night with him. Everyone had been nervous about this exchange at first, but Ginny insisted she'd have Bill and Fleur nearby if they were needed.

The first priority the couple had was to sleep, and unfortunately, they spent a good majority of their anniversary together, asleep. After Ginny and Harry had taken Teddy, Tonks dragged her husband to the couch to sleep, not even bothering to walk to the bedroom. Remus was sound asleep, snoring loudly, which woke his wife up and prompted her to slap his cheek to wake him up from his snoring.

He was groggy and rubbed his eyes. "Hmm?"

"You woke me up." She grunted, curling her legs up.

He had a faint smile, closing his eyes. "Happy anniversary, love."

Tonks pushed herself around to face her husband, who wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned into him, kissing him softly. "I love you." She muttered, her forehead resting on his.

He tugged on her middle, putting a smile on her face. She giggled softly, her leg wrapping around his as his nuzzled her neck and kissed her hard enough to leave marks. "I love you, too."

"Remus John-" She sounded frustrated despite her smile, shoving his chest. " _No,_ Remus, you are _not_ allowed to give me _hickies_."

"And why's that?" He taunted.

" _Because_ we're supposed to be _parents_ , not school children with _hickies_!" Her hair shone its iconic pink, his lips trailing down her neck to her chest. His fingers sneaked up the back of her shirt and sent chills down her spine.

"Then how about I put them somewhere no one else will see?" He persuaded.

" _Remus_..." She purred. " _What's_ gotten into you?"

He drew back a bit. "Is this... am I doing too much?"

"No... I just..." She smiled, staring at him, distracted by fiddling with his hair. "I feel like... maybe we were never the same after the fight."

"I don't think we are." He replied. "Not since last Christmas, _at least_."

She snapped back to him, smiling softly and leaning in to kiss him. "Tell you what, let's go just a little slow for right now..."

Remus nodded and ran his hands down her hips, which sent her into a fit of giggles. "Don't tell me you're _ticklish_ , now." He teased.

"I _missed_ this." She replied, exposing her neck to him. "I missed _you_. I missed having you kiss me without looking at me like I'm _broken_. I missed not having you worry all the time."

He chuckled and kissed her, small bruises materialized on her pale skin. "I missed your smile." He remarked, pulling back. "Your _real_ smile where you scrunch up your nose and squint your eyes and you get laugh lines. Not the one where you just give yourself dimples to look more cheerful."

She pouted. "You don't like my dimples?"

He shook his head, poking a spot on her cheek. "I like your _dimple_. You only have one."

She rolled her eyes. "I like how you act when no one's looking. Like you- oh, stop laughing, are you _five_ \- you get confident and _silly_ and it seems _real._ Like somewhere inside you you're more than just anxiety and fear and you let yourself relax. You let yourself _feel._ "

"I like watching the little, _subtle_ things that change about you when you're not sad." He pointed out. "You straighten your back and your hair doesn't go dull. Sometimes you get little freckles on your cheeks."

She touched her cheek with a blush, small freckles popping up onto them. "I like... okay, you'll think I'm being _really_ picky, but I like that little scar you have right under your cheekbone."

He frowned, touching his own cheek. "I _tried_ to cover it up."

"I know." She kissed his cheek. "But I also like this little beard thing you've got going on, so either one is nice."

He shook his head. "Don't get used to it. I just haven't been shaving as much I should..."

"You-" Tonks snorted. "You look like my _dad._ "

"I sure am old enough to look the part, aren't I?" He said softly. Tonks was still wheezing and couldn't look straight at him in the eye. Something about the weird psychiatrist asking her strange and overly personal questions had surfaced, sending her in a fit of laughter that led him to laughing. "Are you _alright?_ Can you _breath_? I'm not sure I can ever kiss you again now that I've got that in my head."

She laughed. "I mean, unless you're _into_ that."

He physically grimaced, wincing and drawing back. "Please don't-"

She curled up against his chest. "I like your dad-beard."

He rubbed his face, sighing. "I'm... _not_ quite sure I like this

xxxxx

Thw July air was warm, but not quite suffocatingly hot. The sky was clear that night and the moon was drawing back from the full moon from just over a week ago.

Remus had taken his wife out for dinner that night, insisting they get out of the house for something more than a social obligation. On the way back to the house, Tonks stumbled in the driveway, her feet tired of lugging around in tall heels she had no business wearing.

Remus luckily caught her before completely falling over, though her weight slowly sunk to the ground and the two laughed their way on to the ground.

Tonks leaned over on his shoulder, pulling her dress over her knees. They both had become bubbly with laughter after the wine they had with dinner, like they had spent too long holding all of their emotions down.

Remus sighed and cradled her head.

"Is something wrong?" She asked calmly.

"No, I'm just thinking." He suddenly became completely sober, scratching his chin. The dreaded beard _had_ to go before they left the house.

"About?"

"How many anniversaries do you think we're going to have together?" He asked curiously. "At ten, I'll be... forty-eight. Twenty anniversaries, I'll be almost _sixty._ Shit, I don't think I can _live_ to be sixty.

"That's why we got married, isn't it? This isn't some competition to see who can make it to fifty anniversaries first." Tonks explained. "We did it to make sure we couldn't miss the chance to have any more."

He went quiet, staring at the ground.

"You don't... _regret_ it do you?" She asked, her heart sinking through the ground.

"I..."

"You _do_." She pushed herself off of him for second.

"I... I'm worried that I won't be here for you forever." Remus said, his eyebrows knitting together. He looked to his wife for consolation, taking her by the hand before she could stand up to leave. "I won't be there for Teddy. In twenty years, he'll _just_ be growing up. I might not even be there for him."

"That's why I needed you." She replied. "That's why we need you around right now. And don't say that, in twenty years, you might be a completely different person from who you are now. Hell, you might get _better_. And in twenty years, we might both be dead. Teddy could be dead for all we know. I don't want to think that far into the future. I'm worried about right now."


	7. The Birds

The entire floor seemed unfamiliar to Tonks. Who are these people? Desks had been replaced by people she had never met before, and a large amount of them were empty.

"Senior Officer?" The cheerful woman at the front desk smiled. Margaret. Of all the people to survive being kidnapped in a war and come out nearly unscathed was Margaret. Her voice was nasally and high pitched like nails on a chalk board. Everyday, she seemed to come to work in a new, never-before-seen outfit more frivolous than the one from the day before. Today, however, she seemed to be wearing semi-normal clothes, with the only unusual thing about her being a clip in her hair that looked like peacock feathers that matched her pale blue and green eyeshadow.

"Margaret." She nodded, not making eye contact. "I need my badge back."

It was silver and small enough to fit in the palm of her hand, the words, " _British Ministry of Magic, Auror Officer, Senior._ " Tonks put it in her pocket, drumming her fingernails on the desk.

"Is that all, Officer Tonks?" Margaret asked. Tonks was not one to linger around the front desk, for when she did, it either resulting in her telling her own or listening to details about Margaret's love life. "Is... everything alright, Ma'am?" She didn't seem superficial for once, her voice genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I just-" Tonks nodded. "It's hard being back here. I was just wondering why I didn't recognize anyone. Mad-eye's dead, Kingsley's off being Minister..." She didn't continue down the list of names.

"It's good to see your face around here again." Margaret assured. "No one keeps me informed around here. When your badge popped up and they cleared out your desk, I assumed the worst. I was glad to hear you were making your statement by leaving, however."

"Statement?" Tonks inquired.

"Well, I remember how vocal you were about the cases they were giving you." Margaret went quiet. "I... I quite agree with you decision, actually. They were awful. Thicknesse had everything so twisted and warped around his finger. All that 'mudblood' propiganda... I'm glad you got out when you did."

Tonks glanced around to make sure no one of any importance was anywhere nearby. "They didn't fill you in, did they?" Margaret shook her head. "If Kingsley runs by, have him tell you. I'm still not sure about the extent of all the 'half-breed' controversy around here."

The secretary shrugged. "Most people are pretty split. They saw the bad ones during the war and never gave a chance to the good ones. It's hard to keep trust like that."

"Right." Tonks had made a mental note to keep her wedding ring at home or kn her desk. "Well he's the one to talk to if you can."

A Irish man's voice approached from behind. "Give the gal some space, Margie, she just stepped into the office and you're already gossiping like hens, are ya?" He was a short man with dark, sparkling eyes, a face full of freckles, and a dark beard to match his well-groomed hair. He held out his hand, flashing a million dollar smile; he wasa handsome man, just a few years older than herself, and he knew it. He was well dressed in neat robes, his badge hanging on a loop of her pants. "Sparrow Dwight, Senior Officer. Heard you and I are sharing an office."

She held her hand out out of politeness, shaking his. "Uh... Yeah, I think... Name's Tonks."

"Just Tonks?" He raised an eyebrow. "You don't have a first name, do ya?"

"I... do I _know_ you?" She asked, shaking her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude, I just... I don't know anyone here and... I don't remember you and you're a Senior and, I thought it took years to become a Senior..."

"I'm a transfer, love. What, you think I got the job on looks alone?" He chuckled. "It's alright. No need to look at me all bloody guilty like that. You're quite a charmer yourself, behind all that stammerin'."

She cleared her throat. "Dwight, I'm going to have to ask you to not do that, or this isn't working out."

"I can respect that." He nodded. "Alrighty, Margie, what've you got for me and Pinks, over here?" He asked, leaning on her desk. Margaret blushed, shuffling around for a particular file and handing it to him. He led Tonks to an enclosed office with two facing desks. She walked over to the empty on, hopping up onto it; The other had books scattered on the floor, papers covering it, and a bright green poster of an Irish quidditch player. She smiled to herself. This might just be meant to be.

Dwight read over the file. "Alright, love, we got a rogue snatcher. We've been on these for weeks now. Remember them snatchers back in the war? Well after Kingsley got things flattened out and started arresting 'em, they got involved with human trafficking."

"What kind of stuff are we talking about?"

"There's still muggleborns goin' missing. Some half-breeds, but they're being sold for god knows what purpose. Every now and again, one'll blow his cover with the scouts. We gotta go get 'em and put 'em in custody. Pretty standard." He closed the papers and tossed them onto his desk. "What'd'ya say?"

Tonks nodded, thinking carefully. "Do we have a location?"

Dwight laughed. "We got this one easy. Got the bugger's full name and address. Most've these guys ain't all that bright, to say the least."

"Will we need back up? How dangerous is this guy?" She asked.

"Alone with a wand I'd say... Not quite a death eater, but if they gang up, well, let's just say I'm rather a fan of my kidneys." He sighed. "The sooner we a get a move on, the sooner we get back, so let's get going."


	8. The Lunatic

Having a four month old baby was nothing short of entertainment for Tonks, when he was in a good mood. She would sometimes finding herself gawking over the baby's sweet smile and making faces to get him to giggle and give her slobbery, gummy grins. Other times, such as bed time, were entertaining to watch from the doorway of Teddy's finally finished nursery as Remus would try to put the infant to bed.

Having a four month old baby, to Remus, meant getting to read his son to sleep. Now, because the baby was still yet to understand what he was saying and was just listening to him drone on words, Tonks walked in more than once on him reading chapters from old novels.

"An unfinished coffin on black tressels, which stood in the middle of the shop, looked so gloomy and death-like that a cold tremble came over him, every time his eyes wandered in the direction of the dismal object..." The baby was fast asleep in his arms, but Remus read from the pages of Oliver Twist.

"Remus, no, that's not- _no_." Tonks laughed, cupping her hands over her mouth. "Now look at him, he'll grow up wondering why he has nightmares all the time."

He held up a finger to her. "...from which he almost expected to see some frightful form slowly rear its head, to drive him mad with terror." Remus closed tge book and set it on the ground, carrying Teddy over to the crib and laying him down. "What? I have to raise him with some respect for Dickens."

She shook her head, chuckling. "You're so weird."

"I'll stop." Remus turned the light off and pulled the door most of the way. He leaned over, kissing Tonks, placing his hand on the small of her back. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She smiled. "Come on, I've got work early tomorrow morning."

"Personally, I'm not exactly into this 'waking up at the crack of dawn' idea you've got going on." He yawned.

"Would you rather go out and start working instead?" She teased, the two of them walking to their bedroom.

"They're in need of extra hands over at the school. Minnie's been trying to get ahold of me, but I told her I had to stay here with Teddy. " He shrugged.

"Are you sure that was the right move? With money the way it is?"

"I _will_ work. When we need money and Teddy's big enough, I will help you, but you're gone enough as it is. I don't want to just miss my son's life unless we have to." Remus explained.

"You do have a good point." She walked over to the bed, curling up under the sheets. "But tone it down the weird books, will you?"

"Promise."

xxxxx

Claustrophobia was a new fear for Tonks, developing just the March before. She hadn't even considered it until it crept into her dreams while she was asleep.

 _He_ _didn't know what would happen... He didn't know..._ She said over and over, but it never helped.

There she was, back in the coat closet in her mother's house. Her fingers pressed against the wooden white slates, watching as the scene played out, just had it done in March.

 _"Andromeda..." The woman sneered. "Been too long, hasn't it? What? You thought we wouldn't find you eventually?"_

 _Andromeda and Ted had been thrown onto their knees in the middle of the living room. Remus's hand clamped down over his wife's mouth, holding her back._

 _"You, bitch_ _." Andromeda growled_. _"Who the fuck do you think you are coming in here?"_

 _The woman kicked her hard in the stomach, her sister collapsing over on the carpet. "Shut up, you stupid little twat. Which one of you dared_ _to disrespect the Dark Lord? Were you cocky enough to think you were immune to the consequences of your actions?"_

 _"It was me! It was me! Don't touch her!" Ted screamed._

 _"Shut it!" Bellatrix yelled. "I don't need to listen to you, Mudblood!"_

 _Terrorized screams flooded the room and Tonks strugged against_ _Remus's grip. His hands held her back from the door, but in a split second, it changed. His fingers became claws on her arms, digging into her and she was plunged into darkness, despite the screaming only getting louder._

 _The dimly lit brick hallway came into view. When Tonks looked down, bright red blood poured out of her arms. Her tongue felt heavy and she couldn't talk, the pain stinging her arms. The woman's grimy face was inches from her, pressing her wand into her chest._

 _"Break your hand... Break your hand before I break it for you..."_

 _Her legs felt as if they were tied down, locked in place. She tried to shake her head, but none of her motions felt like they were in her control._

 _"Break your wrist, Little Nymphie..."_

 _"Get away from me..."_

 _"Break you hand, Nymphie, or I'll do it by myself."_

 _"Do it then." Tonks groaned. "Do it, you bitch."_

 _There was a crack, Bellatrix sending a hex straight at her hand. The bones twisted and chipped, crushing under pressure. Her fingers were so close to her wand, if only she could stretch just a little bit farther..._

 _"Did you think I was playing a game?"_

Remus grabbed his wife by the shoulders. "Dora! Please, you have to wake up!"

She woke up, the pain in her hand and arms still current from her dreams. She looked down, her bad hand looking more bruised and broken and bright red marks went down her arms. "What? What happened?"

"Honey..." He sighed. "Are you bleeding? Did you cut yourself?"

Her fingers were shaking, tensing and pulsating in pain. There was an overwhelmingly compulsive want to cut herself open, that maybe she could forget or at least please the woman's voice in her head. Fear twisted in her stomach and up to her chest.

 _Do it..._


	9. Professionalism

**AN: Sorry if this is really bland, I'm super into writing this and want to be updating both pieces soon. I've got ideas, I just want to get through some filler. Also, having fun with my new OC. Anyways, RR. :)**

"Coffee isn't going to help you. It'll just make it worse." Remus sighed, handing his wife a cup of coffee. Teddy was awake in his mother's lap, trying to put his foot into his mouth, his bright blue eyes trying to soak in everything in the room.

"I know... I know... I'll be up all night. I'll be fine. They're letting me off tomorrow anyways because I went in today." Tonks swallowed down the half of the mug of coffee, coughing. She smiled at her son. "Hey Little Man, you can't eat your toes. _No you can't._ You can't eat your _toes_." She chattered in a baby voice, provoking him to giggle at her.

"So how was work today? What was that emergency that they called you in for? Oh, or was that classified and I can't know?" Remus asked insecurely.

She shook her head. "They found an abandoned baby today. Magical parents, but we can't run a genealogy on them. We don't know anything about her, really."

"A baby? Someone just abandoned a _baby_?" He was shocked, a dull pain building up in his chest.

"Are you really that suprised after everything you've seen?" She questioned with exasperation.

"How old was it?"

"Eight months, so just a little bit older than Teddy. Little girl."

"Was she being abused?" He walked across the kitchen, picking up her mug and taking it away to the sink.

"Not as far as we could tell. No bruises or anything. They had a healer look over her, but still nothing. Just a thrown away baby."

"What's going to happen to her?"

"They've got her in custody until she gets her weight back up and then she gets adopted out to a family. It's weird. It's almost like she was in the opposite of an abusive household. She had a diaper rash and was a little too thin, but it seemed like someone had tried to take care of her."

"Do you think there was just a mother out there who couldn't handle the stress of a baby?"

"Maybe. I don't know, really. Someone tried to love that baby, but you don't just _lose_ a baby. They don't get up and wander out and that's what confuses me. It was like they wanted her to be found, but wouldn't just turn her in." She rubbed her dark eyes on her long sleeve with a long exhale. Her hand looked better than it had the night before, though no matter how much it healed, her hand still looked as if early May hadn't been as long ago as it was.

"Well I'm sure she'll find a good home and won't get ditched this time." He assured.

"I know this is weird, but... they let me hold her and it was like as soon as I picked her up, I felt something, like I was drawn to her..." Tonks shook her head, becoming quiet.

"Maybe she reminded you of Teddy in a way that you became defensive at the thought of something happening to him."

"It was like holding my own child... Not holding Teddy, but holding something that belonged to me. I felt drawn to her and it's the weirdest thing." She shook her head. "I do miss him when I'm gone. I worry that something might happen and I might not..." Her voice cracked.

"I worry about that too sometimes." Remus nodded, sitting down beside her.

"I don't want to quit. Being an auror is honestly my dream job, but having a kid really changed things for me. I don't want to raise him to have a plan if Mummy doesn't come home."

"He'd understand, I think. Not that I _want_ to think about that, but..." His voice trailed off.

Tonks reached over, taking her husband's hand and running her thumb over the back of his hand. They sat quietly, with only the cooing and gurgling of the baby.

"I love you." Remus remarked. "I want you to get better. I don't know exactly what happened to you, but you scared me last night. If you can scratch yourself like you did then, why can't you go farther?"

"I know... I know..." Tonks huffed.

"Listen to me, you can't keep this up. You can't keep hurting yourself like this. And I think you need to figure out what you need to do and stick to it until you can get out of this."

xxxxx

Tonks' quill scratched over the parchment. She swore that there were only so many statements and descriptions she could use on the seemingly endless paperwork she had to fill out. Dwight finished his in what felt like an impossible amount of time.

"Nicole." He said firmly.

"Nope." She responded. There was no way in hell he could guess her name, but she was going to let him try anyways.

"Natalie."

"No."

"Natalia."

"No."

"Nadine."

"No."

"Niki."

"Not even close."

"Noel?"

"I'm not telling you, Dwight."

"Na... hmm. _Nancy_."

"Nope."

"Bloody hell, there are only so many names that start with 'N!'" He exclaimed.

"And I told you, I'm not telling."

"Narissa."

"No." Tonks sighed. _Suspect was found at the given location, which appeared to be his home... Of course it appeared to be his bloody home, it was!_ She scratched out her writing. _Suspect was found at the given location, which was confirmed to be his home..._

"Ness."

... _The door was heavily charmed with a barrier, but I managed to compromise the lock while my partner kept watch. Suspect met the description and photograph given of him. When we entered, he became defensive and we explained why we were there. We offered to take him without a fight, but he fired a stunning spell at my partner..._

"Nan." A green bruise decorated Dwight's cheek, but he didn't seem too bothered by it.

"No..." _I became offensive, returning the fire, and arresting him. My partner and I searched the house, but found little no evidence of hostages or trafficking. The house is under investigation by the scouts and he is in custody for interrogation._

"Nia? Come on, I have to get it sometime." He said hopefully.

"You're hardly getting it even similar."

He wadded up a piece of parchment and threw it onto her desk. "Noah."

She chuckled, shuffling the papers together into a stack and putting them in their file. Tonks picked up her wand, flicking it at the ball of parchment, folding it into a paper airplane and sending it back to his desk. It dove violently towards him, stopping on his desk. "Nope."

She had finally had the chance to decorate her side of the office and was quite happy with the turnout. It comfortably looked like it was in use, no longer vacant and bland. Tonks put her photographs up, and to even spite her partner, planned to hang a Chudley Canons poster up behind her desk, along with her coat and scarf.

The three framed photographs sat on her desk, smiling over at her. The first was a picture of a man sitting at his desk, a little girl with bright purple hair propped up on his knee as her read to her, occasionally looking over at the camera and waving. The second was a photograph of her and her husband, standing outside the Burrow, smiling and laughing, holding onto each other and kissing every now and then. She smiled when she saw it; Fleur had made her borrow a lacy white dress from her to wear, and white flowers were twisted into her bright pink hair, her husband wearing his nicest suit. The third was the most recent, portraying Remus holding Teddy, whose hair had turned a sandy colour to match his.

"Nadia."

"No, sir."

Dwight groaned, slumping down in his chair. "I have _got_ to be close."

"Just keep telling yourself that. And while you're at it, you can run these downstairs for me on your way out."

"Fine." He gathered the papers and stood up, smiling politely. "But _you_ get to go next time."

She smiled back, collecting her bag. "Will do."

Several of the new recruits were standing around the front desk, waiting on their night shift assignments since they didn't have their own desks yet. "Oi, Potter!" She called.

Harry turned around, looking to see who called his name. "You know Harry Potter?" Dwight asked in shock. "The Harry Potter?"

"Of course I do, he's the godfather of my kid." She replied with an almost smug expression.

Harry replied. "Is Teddy doing alright?"

Tonks chuckled. "He's not bad. You had him, what, two days ago?"

Harry shrugged, laughing. "I miss the kid. You doing alright?"

"Yeah." She clasped him on the back. "See you around, alright? And be good, or I'll have your Senior Officer run you harder."

He sighed, rolling his eyes, leaning on the desk. "If it's even possible."

The two stepped into the elevator together, waving goodbye to Harry. "You're name can't be _that_ bad." Dwight remarked. "Really, I'm quite curious now."

"I'm not telling you." Tonks remarked. "Not now, not _ever._ "


	10. Holiday Season Part One

Tonks was _not_ catching on. Teddy was propped up in her father's lap, clutching his favourite stuffed elephant, gleefully named Howard, in a tight fist. He would pick up the toy by the ear and with as much force as his tiny arm could muster, threw it against the floor.

"Teddy, we _talked_ about this." She rolled her eyes, picking up poor Howard and replacing him in her son's lap, a smile of only two teeth showing on his face. "Howard sits _here._ "

He giggled and seized the elephant, trying to toss it back. Tonks was quicker and caught it before it hit the floor. She laughed, sitting Howard back down and kissing her son's face.

Remus took the toy and sat it beside him. "Here, let's stop throwing the poor thing, alright?" Teddy wobbled over, grasping onto the tuffs of elephant fur with a flexing hand, his hair turning elephant grey with a twisted, almost constipated face.

Tonks chuckled, digging through a plastic bin in the floor. "Look at him, he's getting the hang of it, even if he doesn't realize." She said proudly. "What'd'ya say, Teddy?"

He looked around for his mother, smiling back at her before slapping the elephant in the floor.

"Okay, Little Man," Remus chuckled, struggling to get the toy. "Howard is tired and does not wish to be thrown anymore."

His wife was propped up against the box in the middle of the living room, attempting to untangle tinsel in frustration. "Goddamn it, what were we thinking? 'Oh just shove it in the box, why don't we, we'll deal with it next year'?"

"That's on you." Remus remarked, carrying the baby over towards her, and sitting across from her. "Those are _your_ Christmas decorations."

"Oh." She paused before returning to the chore. "Right, yeah."

He brought Teddy to a wobbly stand, but Teddy was too busy trying to grab his elephant that he tumbled while trying to take a step, taking a confused landing backwards onto a cushiony diaper. In a panic, a wide-eyed Tonks flung her arms out towards the baby in anticipation of a whimper or a cry. He mimicked a similar response, his hair going pale. _Was not on the floor... then was on the floor... Not hurt?_

"Come on, Remus," She whined. "Don't just _drop_ the baby!"

"I didn't _drop_ him. He's _fine_ , Dora-"

Teddy laughed, picking up a slobbery hand and placing it in his mouth, looking to his parents for a response.

Tonks shook her head, smiling, and returning to her tinsel. "At least you can laugh at yourself young, huh?"

In a shuffling army crawl, Teddy propelled himself forward, reaching out for the shiny garland. He reached for a handful in fascinstion and brought it to his mouth before his father detered him with the beloved elephant.

"This is... strange." Remus pointed out thoughtfully.

"What? Your kid's eccentricity with neutral, string-like textures? I dunno, that sounds like an in-law thing to me-"

" _No._ " Remus corrected. "It's just you and me and Teddy. Your mum's not here, your dad's gone, my parents are gone..." His voice briefly began to trail off. "It's just _us_. Last Christmas, we were at each others' throats. Year before, we wouldn't even _look_ at each other. Year before _that_ , we hardly even knew one another. And anything before that, we had no clue the other existed."

"Now don't get too ahead of yourself, there, you can't get rid of my mum _that_ easily." She teased, rising to her feet to rest the tinsel on the mantlepiece. "You know what? I'm happy. I'm happy with all of this. Okay, not the tinsel, this is actually making me the opposite of happy, but I'm thankful for what I have."

He chuckled. "I _love_ your ugly tinsel, Dora! Come on, _leave it_!"

"Noit's disgustingly hideous!" She pouted, putting her hands on her hips. "I _swear_ , you could breed a gnome with a house elf and kick that abomination in the face, you could still make it pretty. The tinsel looks _tacky_ like this."

"It does not." He reassured, looking over at his son. "Teddy, can you say 'no'? Say, ' _no, Mummy, you're doing great_.'"

Teddy still wasn't ready to speak, but he gurgled cheerfully with his father, looking to his mother for approval.

She rolled her eyes. "Come help me with the lights, will you? Instead of using my own kid against me?"

"Dora, just-" He picked up his wand off of the coffee table. He felt slightly guilty for leaving it so far from his grasp. Flicking it, he ordered the Christmas lights to float over towards the tree, wrapping themselves around the branches. His wife watched with vague annoyance, however.

"'Oh, I'm Remus, and I can just...'" She quickly became incoherent, digging through boxes to find ornaments. The Christmas tree wasn't very big, which suited the family of three comfortably. It was mostly empty right now, with only a few survivng mementos from Remus's childhood and one or two from Tonks's that her mother let her have, one of which being a crudely made paper cat with a Santa hat on. The rest were shiny and glittery red, gold, and silver balls to fill in gaps until they had anything else to replace them with.

Remus looked at his son. "Mummy's being silly, isn't she? She can get all the bad guys, but won't hang up lights? She is _so_ silly..." Teddy found his father's baby voice amusing, his hair shifting to sandy brown.

"Hey, do you think we can be _that_ annoying couple?" Tonks asked curiously, staring down at the terrifyingly blue cat with " _Happy Christmas! Love, Dora!"_ on it. "I'm thinking we spend a little bit of money, buy _those_ ornaments that say like, ' _First Christmas Together!'_ or ' _Baby's First Christmas!'_? I mean, what's the point of Christmas if we don't look like a poorer, less-children ridden version of the Weasleys? And _don't_ tell Molly I said that."

"Of course we can, Dora." The two laughed and decorated their tree, worried more about the greenery their son was so fascinated in than about presents and stressful family members.


	11. Holiday Season Part Two

"So what are your plans for Christmas?" Tonks asked.

Dwight shrugged, walking aimlessly around their office. "Nothin' too exciting. 'Eat, drink, and be merry.' Are ya coming to the New Year's Eve party?"

"I'm going to try to, but I might stay in with my husband. I don't think I've been to a proper party in ages. Are you?"

"Oh of course." He grinned. "Champagne, music... yeah I'd love it. Especially after this hell of a year, don't ya think?"

"I want to say I could use a night out, but honestly," She laughed. "I miss my kid. I really do love him."

Dwight stopped in front of her desk, interested in the photographs. "When was this photo taken?" He asked, pointing to the one in the middle.

"July, '97." She picked up her wedding photograph. "Why?"

He shook his head. "That's sick of 'em, ain't it? You left just a few months after that... they drove you out cause of him, didn't they?"

"Well, something of the sorts." She said quietly. "What about it?"

He picked up the photo to take a closer look. "That scar tissue on his face. You married a werewolf, didn't ya? Or at least someone on the wrong end with one. It's alright, I studied scar patterns when my brother was a little boy. I used to watch over him and... forget it."

"Is that why you joined?" She asked.

He put the picture back, walking over to his desk and sitting on it. "Kind of. My mum was a sick lady and they way she treated me brother and I. The Ministry knew when he wound up with a bite in his neck and they did nothin'. He couldn't handle the beatin's on top of the claw marks. I thought if I became an auror, I could help kids that get stuck in families like that. So far, I think I've done all but that. It is refreshing to know I helped a kid every now and again though."

"Will you help me out and keep that on the down low?" She questioned. Tonks wanted to keep asking and talking to him about those things, but was afraid of overstepping or becoming to personal.

"Oh, come on, love." He smiled. "What do ya take me for, Pinks?"

"I just wanted to make sure." Tonks nodded.

"Now," Dwight leaned on her desk, looking down at her. "What am I supposed to call you if your hair isn't always pink?" Even after weeks together, he had yet to put two and two together with her hair. It hadn't been until earlier that week, she changed it in front of him. Despite begrudgingly working on the day before a holiday, for the occasion she had split her hair into two, one red and the other green. The two were able to leave early, working short shifts for the holiday.

"Whatever you want." She smiled, walking out with him. "Or Tonks. Just Tonks."

"But _what_ Tonks?" He asked, going back to pacing. "... _Natasha... Nora... Nebula... Neriah... Nicotine... Nikita... Nina... Norris... Nylah._.."

"Dear _god_ , you're awful at this." Tonks replied, signing off her name on a checklist at the front desk. The secretary, decked out today in only the brightest red and green sweater...stockings, skirt, and even shoes. "Wotcher, Margaret."

"Fine." Dwight paused to fill out his hours. "How many syllables?"

"Four." Margaret butted in with a nasally whistle.

" _Four_? You're fuckin' joking, aren't ya?" He asked in bewilderment, looking over at her partner.

"Nope." Tonks smirked, writing her typically illegible signature even messier. On most forms and papers, only the necessary ones had her first name documented and even then, some forms had thick, black boxes to blot them out.

"Ni... Nico...colett... _Nicoletta!_ "

"No." Tonks snapped.

"Oh, come _on._ " He huffed. "That's not even fair!"

xxxxx

Winter was Remus's favourite time of the year. Without a doubt, he was wearing the ugliest sweater possible, but he wasn't unhappy about it. He was half asleep on the couch and snoring, his son laying on his chest, snoring, but not quite as loud. Teddy, however, had no ugly Christmas sweater, but had been given a fairly awful onesie that had a red and green Christmas sweater pattern by his grandmother.

Tonks was the early bird in the house, her hair happily pink as she came back into the living room with two mugs in her hands, nearly spilling them on the rug.

"Oh, come on, don't tell me you're asleep again already." She teased, sitting down and tipping coffee onto her pajama pants. Remus raised his eyebrows with shut eyes, carefully managing to sit up with the baby still sleeping. Tonks handed over the other cup. "You feeling alright? Not too down, are you?"

He shook his head and shifted the sleeping child in his arms. Remus put on a smile, kissing his wife's cheek. "I'm just tired."

"We've got a week, right?" She asked.

He nodded. "I always watch Christmas, always have, and we're going to be cutting it close the next few years."

"We can always celebrate early if we need to." She nudged him with her elbow. "But we have this year, so we should be thankful."

It was a small celebration with only a couple of presents exchanged and a handful of photos taken, as well as being visited by a small handful of Weasleys. Remus tried to pretend to be tired to avoid talking all that much, but he smiled and let Tonks kiss him, feeling happy at nothing but the thought of having one more holiday, alive and safe with his family.


	12. Holiday Season Part Three

"Wotcher, Dwight. Sorry we're a little late." Tonks apologized, smiling weakly before straightening her clothes and hair from flooing. Her husband was on her arm, shifting his weight to look less like he was depending on her to hold him up. She told him _at least_ three times he was NOT going to a party two days before a full moon, inevitably causing their tardiness. "What's the term the muggles use, 'fashionably late'?"

"Don't worry about it, Pinks." Her partner smiled. "Lady's got to look nice, hadn't she?"

"This is my husband," She ushered towards Remus, looking over lovingly. "This is Dwight. We're sharing an office."

The two men shook hands. "It's nice to finally put a face to the name." He smiled weakly.

"An' it's nice to put a name to the face. Saw you on the Mrs's desk." Dwight remarked.

 _"Dwight, I just... I need for you to play it nice tonight." She had explained in private before leaving for the day. "We know what we are, but..."_

 _"Somethin' wrong, love?" He asked concerned._

 _"See, that's the thing." She pointed her finger at him. " I know that you mean well with the nicknames and everything, but my husband can be a bit..."_

 _"Protective?"_

 _"Insecure." She clarified. "He's a great guy, but he can give you at least twenty reasons why he doesn't deserve me and seeing that I've got a younger guy in the office doesn't help either of us."_

 _Dwight nodded, chuckling to himself. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, flashing her a charming grin. "Don't worry, I'll try to keep my hands off ya tonight."_

 _" Dwight..." She warned._

 _"Alright, alright. Hand's off. Don't you worry. Nothin' between us."_

Remus seemed slightly embarassed by the mention. "I-I had no idea, actually. I thought you only had pictures of Teddy."

She nudged him playfully. "Come on, I want you to come meet Margaret. She'll be all sorts of fun."

Dwight rolled his eyes. "Got 'ere langered. Don't expect a lot of substance in a chat."

Tonks chuckled, walking alongside her husband. A few people glanced in their direction, interested more in the older, limping man than their pink haired colleague.

Naturally, at one of the tables, between a group from the Spirit Division and the Invisible Task Force, was a distressed Margaret with her head in her hands. Tonks shook her head, smiling. "Give me just a minute to talk to her. Make sure she can get home safely." Remus nodded, pulling himself back slightly, folding his hands nervously. It didn't take Dwight long before he swooped back in to make conversation.

Tonks had a set at the table, smoothing the white tablecloth in front of her. "Margie?" She asked softly.

The tearing up woman had smeared red eyeshadow and black eyeliner on her face, mascara blotting her cheeks. She had on a frivolous red blouse and a round skirt that stuck out and made her look like a lady bug. Tonks retrained herself from joking and asking if she lost her directions to a costume party.

"Oh, Officer Tonks," She sobbed. "it's _you_."

"Yes," She laughed. "it is I."

"You would not _believe._ " The secretary whined. "I asked _four_ men to be my date and _all_ of them turned me down."

Tonks bit her lip, rubbing circles on her back. "It's alright... I know, rejection sucks..."

"But _you_ have a date!" She griped, dabbing her tears away with a napkin. "Men aren't worth a _knut_ , are they?"

She shook her head. "Maybe you're just asking the _wrong_ men. Did you try Harold Quincy from Magical Artifacts."

"Harold Quincy didn't even bat an eye at me." Margaret straightened, slowly calming down. She looked around at the people. "Is _that_ your date? Over by Officer Dwight?"

Tonks glanced over. Her partner's charisma was definitely rubbing off on her husband, both of them smiling and enamoured in conversation, somehow two glasses of alcohol getting involved. "That's Remus, yes."

Margaret snorted. "So you got yourself a sugar daddy without the sugar, huh?" Tonks slapped her arm and she cleared her throat. "S-sorry." She mumbled.

Tonks got to her feet, picking up her purse. "Margaret, just promise me you're not apperating? Please, I don't want you splinching yourself."

"I'll just floo..." She trailed off, slumping down on the table. A few other coworkers stopped Tonks as she darted through the crowd, several interested in her now not-so mysterious date.

Percy Weasley, ex-student and ex-assistant to the Minister had found himself fluttering over to the conversation.

"...You woulsn't believe how different things are around here." Percy bragged. "I mean, really, Kingsley knocked the death eaters out Azkaban, cleared Gringotts of the dragons, they even have their first Goblin as head of the Game and Sport Department."

Dwight shook his finger. "I don't agree with that. See, not because he's a goblin, right, but I don't get why the bloody game office has _us_ affiliated, right? The last poor guy there at least _tried_ to let the Irish have a separate office-"

"Ahem," Tonks cleared her throat. "Maybe this fellow recognizes the fact the Irish team can't stand on their feet without us, eh?"

"She does have a point." Percy laughed. "Well, I'm going to head off. I still have a few people to say hello to before dinner starts." He turned around, disappearing into the crowd.

"The Canons might've gotten us this year, but we're coming back _at least_ by 2000." Dwight declared.

"Can I have my husband back, yet?" She teased, crossing her arms. "Or did I lose my New Year's kiss _already?"_

Dwight looked up and down at Remus inquisitively, before turning to her with a smile. "Dunno. Not bad, but I'm not sure I fancy a man taller than me."

"Well, good luck to you, finding someone shorter than you. You might get mistaken for a pair of house elves." Tonks rolled her eyes, taking a glass if champagne from a passing waiter.

"Sparrow here and I almost missed each other in school." Remus explained. "Except he wasn't in Gryffindor."

"So you're older than you let on, eh?" She giggled.

"Let on? Oh, come on, I don't _let on_ , I was _born_ this handsome." Dwight fixed his suit proudly.

"Well just don't snog him _too_ much. _I_ paid for the wedding band and I don't want sloppy seconds." Tonks declared, sipping her drink. "I'll walk Margie out if you all want to find seats."

Dwight elbowed her hip as she passed, opening his mouth to say something, and then closing it again to let her go.

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed the conclusion to the holiday seasons and you all have happy holidays irl! Again, I love reviews and if there's anything in particular you want to see, just let me know! Also, I recently posted another Remadora-esk story and will update my existing one tonight. Thanks :)**


	13. Regrets and Pancakes

**AN: Life's chaos right now. Anxiety, school, family, depression, medications... Also, Finals Week.**

Remus's head was laying across his wife's lap, his head propped up on a pillow. Tonks was asleep, leaning on her elbow propped up on the arm of the sofa. He was awake with a head full of thoughts, but his eyes were shut, his fingers aimlessly drumming on her arm that was resting on his chest.

It hadn't taken him long to figure out the pattern. Every month, Andromeda took Teddy for the night to prevent any... _accidents_ , but that was for his own good. On weekends, however, or when the three were invited over for dinner, it took minutes before their son was whisked away. At first, Remus thought it may have been after so many people had been killed, seeing a new baby was encouraging and distracting. But it seemed like there were people at their beckoning call to take the baby.

If he sat long enough dwelling on it, a bitter anger filled his mind, but it wasn't towards his extended family. They never saw him get up in the middle of the night when his wife couldn't, nor could they see how hard he was trying to fix things with his wife. They _did_ , however, see how ill she became when she was pregnant with Teddy out of stress. They saw her struggle with insomnia with pink, tired eyes, not what she looked like during a nightmare. They saw how the two were drawn back into seclusion, not how awkward he felt in a room full of people that felt like strangers to him. They heard the talk of separation, not seeing how hard the two fought to make things work out.

 _They think we don't love him..._

Was that it? Were they worried that Remus was just sticking around because his wife needed help? Did they think he was a deadbeat and she felt obligated to the baby? Did they think he was feeling guilty?

He _was. All of that was his fault._ Over a year later and he still felt hollow from missing those few weeks. Even after he came back, she was slow, sleeping all the time, locked in a depressed, sick state. A year after they made amends and he felt like he had missed everything.

His hand wrapped around hers, squeezing it. She gripped back tightly, a low hum coming from her mouth. Looking up at her, her eyes were shut, dark circles ringing her eyelids, drool hanging on her lips, and tired lines forming new creases on her forehead. Her hair was a wine purple, shifting at the ends to a pale blue. He could infer by the colour that she was thinging about Teddy, whether or not she'd remember it when she woke up.

He didn't deserve her, Remus concluded. She had been too kind on him and he had no business being with her. _She'd never understand._ Being such a stubborn woman, he knew that Tonks would never see it the way he did. He didn't deserve her, but it proved difficult to imagine his future as anything else.

He laid there for a long time and thought about his future with her. In a way, part of it seemed impossible, like a wall had been created in his memories. Was Teddy going to have a good future? Remus _could_ imagine Teddy growing up. He'd get into trouble and never be able to sit still, like his mother, perhaps becoming a reckless teenager. Or could he be quiet and reclusive, bookish and withdrawn? It amused him to see his son as a proud Gryffindor, or maybe a Hufflepuff like his mother. _No, he'd certainly be in Gryffindor._

Tonks stirred, rubbing her eyes. "Remus?" She mumbled, struggling around to sit up. She was trying to sound worried, but sounded too tired to bother. "Are you okay? What did I miss?"

He sat up slowly, his joints popping with every move. "I'm fine. No cuts, no bruises. You were still asleep here when the sun came up, so I got dressed and laid down."

She nodded, yawning. "You should've gotten me up."

Remus shook his head and kissed her on the temple. "You needed to sleep. I can handle myself fine."

She began to protest, reaching over to touch his face. "But if you had-"

"You don't have to worry over an old man." He assured her. "But I didn't anything. I'm sore is all."

She pressed her hand against his forehead, then cheeks, and frowned. "You're warm."

"I always am, aren't I?" He remarked. She grabbed each of his hands, prodding her fingers up to his shoulders in search for a responding wince to an injury she couldn't see. "And you act like _I_ hover." He teased, staggering to his feet.

Tonks rolled her eyes, huffing disdainfully and joined him, pressing at the sides of his neck. "Let me worry, okay? Come into the kitchen with me." She led him over to the sink, wetting a washcloth from the cabinet. Pushing herself up onto the counter, he walked over towards her, letting her pat his face with the wet rag. "Don't get sick on me, alright? That's the last thing we need around here."

"I'll try my best." Their faces grew closer, lips locking onto each other. Tonks's hair melted into a soft pink, folding the washcloth over and pressing it against his mouth. She laughed lightly and kissed the end of his nose.

"And you better not get _me_ sick either." She announced. Remus smirked, pushing her hand aside and going in to kiss the side of her neck, creeping his fingers her around the waist, sending his wife into another fit of giggles. " _Stop it_! You _know_ I'm ticklish!" Tonks shoved him playfully, and he retaliated with pinching her bottom as fixed her pajama shorts, shooting him a dirty look.

"I love you." He drew up, nuzzling her. "I know that I sometimes forget to tell you and... and don't want you to forget or think I-"

"And I love you too," She cut him off. "and you don't have to remind me."

"But if anything ever happens to me, I just want to make sure you-"

Tonks pulled back, cupping his still slightly feverish face. He took her hands, earnestly holding them in his, nestling them against his lips. "Stop it." She said firmly. He loosened his grip on her hands, stating over at her. "Stop doubting yourself like that, you understand? I've made it this long with you, I'm not going to get bored and walk out or anything. You're perfectly fine the way you are and I've never thought less of-"

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. On the other side was Andromeda Tonks, holding a whimpering child and sporting tired eyes. She sighed with relief, practically shoving the child towards her daughter. "You're up, thank _god._ Teddy cried all night and would _not_ go to sleep."

"Come on in." Tonks cradled the boy, gently rocking him. He cooed and gurgled at the sight of his mother, his disposition shifting at the loving twinkle in her eye. "He's been so fussy the last few days..."

Andromeda slumped over at the table, rubbing her forehead. She snorted, a grin poking at her cheeks. "I _almost_ forgot what a nightmare you were and _you_ didn't let me."

"Woops." Tonks rolled her eyes, sitting across from her mother. "Well we just got up. If you'd like, I can fix breakfast-"

It was Remus's turn to laugh. "Ha. See, here's the thing-" He turned, pointing to the stove. "I _just_ got the black marks off the wall from the _last_ time you tried that."

Tonks huffed. "We just got up, but if you'd like _Remus_ can fix breakfast and _I_ can get ready for work."

Andromeda nodded and leaned over onto her hand. " _Please_ for the love of Merlin would you two not get pregnant again." She let out a deep sigh. "I'm an old lady and I've had enough pink haired babies for at least two lifetimes."

Her daughter rolled her eyes. "Old lady, my ass. I was high as a _kite_ and I remember you saying, ' _oh, Dora, I'm only fifty. I'm too young to be having grandkids'..._ "

She shook her head. "Remus, tell her I did _not_ say that."

He laughed nervously, digging a bowl out of the pantry. "I'm going to stay over here and fix pancakes if the two of you are alright with that."


	14. Late Nights

The papers had scattered themselves all over Tonks's desk. An angry blonde woman stood over her, arms crossed.

" _I_ demanded to speak to a Senior Officer, not some... _field scout_ with dyed hair." She spat.

Tonks closed her eyes. "Ma'am, I _am_ a Senior Officer."

"Whatever." She snapped. "I _know_ you altered those forms from my husband's arrest and I _refuse_ to leave until you admit to duping those papers!"

She stared at the woman. "Ma'am, if you would like to appeal to the court, then you need to take this up with my superiors. I just executed and documented the arrest, I cannot change-"

The woman slapped her hand on the desk. "Listen here, you little _freak..._ "

" _Senior Officer_ Tonks." She corrected.

"...you are _abusing your power_ as auror by falsely accusing my husband of a crime he did _not_ commit!" The woman demanded.

Tonks dug through her papers, searching through her files for an envelope, setting it in front of the witch. She took out a set of photographs and laid them out in front of her. " _Here_. _Three_ photographs of joy potions of illegal potency, found in your husband's possession. Our testing came back positive, showing he was clearly intoxicated beyond safe-"

"These are _counterfeit!"_ She exclaimed, reaching towards them.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to step back or I'm calling security." Tonks collected them, stuffing them back into the envelope. "I'm going to suggest you appeal to-" The woman turned, giving one last sour look as she stormed out of the office. Sighing, Tonks slumped over in her chair, rubbing her temples. "Well, I guess that answers _that_."

Dwight laughed from his seat. "You have no idea how many of those we've been seein' as of late."

She sighed, returning to the pile. "...anyways, before you were so rudely interrupted, please continue..."

"Anyways, so we're tryin' to track this guy who's holdin' his muggle family god-knows-where. He's got a history of... Puh-sy... _see_... how do ya say this?"

Tonks leaned over her desk for a better look, snickering. " _Psychosis_?"

He rolled his eyes, taking out a folder of book proportion "Whatever. He's our number one priority right now."

She sighed. "We'll get that laid out as soon as possible. This guy's got a record, I'll give him that."

Dwight elaborately drew out a paper from the stack, shaking it. "Two counts of 'second degree vehicular manslaughter'...'unlawful distribution of fireworks'...'third degree stalking'.. 'third Degree Robbery of a... box of chocolate frogs'?... Multiple entries to local medical facilities... I mean, I can't say 'we should've seen this coming', this guy's never done anything _this_ crazy, but _damn..._ "

"What's his name?"

"Eugene Corey. Heard of him?"

She shook her head. "I think I remember working his stalking case back... two years ago? I'm not good with names."

 _Knocturn Alley was in the middle of it's daily shift into the night. There was no set time, but one could infer that it took place as the sun was sinking behind the buildings. The people in Diagon Alley were closing up their stores, sweeping their floors, turning their signs around, and closing their registers. In its counterpart, music could be heard from the walls. Heavily hooded and cloaked people seemed to pour out onto the sidewalks, laughter and chatterings and whispers and mutterings alike filling the streets._

 _A young woman in dark robes pulled the hood back on her coat. She had fair features, dark eyes and glistening bronze eyes. Her lips were dry and chapped in the cool winter air, her eyes were alert, darting back and forth among the crowd._

 _It wasn't long before a man accompanied her in in the dark, talking in thick gasps of foggy breath. While acknowledging and therefore not rejecting his proposals, her gestures were compliant, yet not accepting. A firm hand seized her and in her moment of fear, she threw him off of her with sharp fingernails. He flinched in anger and retaliated with brute force, throwing her back against the wall of an alleyway._

 _The woman swore her wand was supposed to protect her, yet it hung loosely in her pocket. Was that her indignant sign of consent? Before he made his final attempt to subdue her, a shower of flaming red sparks flooded out onto the cobblestone, shooting off into the dark sky._

There was a banging on the window, a young trainee with wide eyes motioning them the come outside. The two hurried out to a group of two or three others, talking in muffled voices.

"... All I'm sayin' is Jolene shouldn't go." A man with white hair and a wheezy voice declared. "Tonks, too."

"Why? What's happened?" She asked, stepping forward. "Do we have news on Corey?"

The man with the wheezy voice shook his head. "No. We've got to dispatch out. Person in distress down Knockturn and-"

She looked at the others in shock, drawing her wand. "Then why are we standing here? Let's _go-"_

Dwight grabbed her arm. "Hang on. Let's... let's not send you."

 _"We need to go._ " Tonks growled, pushing him off. "If they signalled distress, we need to go _now._ "

"Now just _wait_ , Pinks," He trampled behind her, walking towards the fireplace. "You ain't goin' by yourself. I'm coming with you."

"You don't _trust me_?" She grabbed a dark velvet bag that contained a think powder, pulling open the drawstrings.

He grabbed on tightly to her shoulder. " _Listen to me,_ this is a _rapist._ "

"Then we need to _go_ before that woman gets hurt-" Tonks pinched the floo powder in her palm, her knees buckling. "I'm going. _Now._ "

xxxxx

Borgin and Burkes was not at all pleased with the two aurors that came falling out of the fireplace, but in times like these, had no need to argue, simply unlocking the front door to let them proceed without word. A silver orb was glowing brightly from each of the ends of their wands, reflecting off of stray puddles that filled the cracks in the sidewalks.

The man was displeased with the outrun of events, but found that the situation could've been more unfavourable than the current circumstances, staring down at the unconscious woman, slumped over on the ground. At least he wouldn't have to hide a body. Chances were, given the time and location, the sparks could've easily been attributed to the store just opposite of the underpass, which frequently shot off collections of fireworks at random. Any other nosy squatter would keep their mouth _shut_ if they knew what was in it for them.

Almost weightless footsteps hurried down the street, eyes searching desperately down every alleyway for the sign of the sparks. Both Dwight and Tonks received both confused and ignorant looks.

The man turned quickly on his toes as people approached, drawing his wand.

Tonks similarly held up hers, examining the scene. Dwight followed, holding out his other hand as an inviting gesture. "Sir, we're gonna have to ask you to step away from that woman..." He persuaded.

The man recoiled in brief compliance, his wrist sending hexes straight for the pair. Dwight darted sideways, sending back stunning charms and protective shields.

 _Do it..._

An itch filled Tonks's ear, like a raspy voice was talking over her shoulder, dighing into her head and causing her to flinch momentarily.

" _Stupify_!" She exclaimed, but it was too insincere, as if time had slowed down for her. The man dropped onto his kneels, screaming out in unbearable pain, his body twisting unnaturally. Immediately aware of the damage, Tonks attempted to pry her hand from the wand in an unsuccessful attempt until her partner lunged at her, knocking it from her reach, the man collapsing onto the pavement.

The air grew stuffingly silent. The woman's body tensed, her attacker moaning in pain beside her. Tonks's muscles tensed, petrifying her in place out of fear.

Dwight stared at her with wide eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. " _What have you done?_ "


	15. Long Mornings

Remus was in a hurry, wrapping his scarf around his neck as he walked out the door. There was an ill feeling in his stomach, an uneasiness as to why his wife had not come home the night before. Andromeda was in charge of the baby until he got back which, for now, was who knew when.

The Ministry of Magic seemed nothing out of sorts. Witches, Wizards, and other magical beings walked where they needed to be and never lingered in the hallways. Despite the vast amount and variety of people, having not been here in so long made him feel extremely out of place, though few people did as much as look at him. Things were different from the last time he was here: the old fountain depicting a throne held up by muggles was destroyed, the large banners with the likeness of Pius Thicknesse had been replaced by a simple Ministry logo, and there seemed to be an eerie lack of news propaganda lingering around.

Even in the middle of day, the courtrooms lacked any windows (or enchanted ones), engulfing themselves in darkness. However, there was a strange sense of contempt in the air. The dementors had simply... _vanished_ without a trace.

He swore that he must have been going mad. An echoing sound of tears came from a bench that was past the courtrooms in session and Remus knew exactly whose crying it was. He had come as quickly as he could, but had it been enough?

The only was the jury, momentarily out from another case and standing out in the hall, and talking only in whispers and making no other noises. Remus pushed forward and almost everyone looked at him. "I'm sorry, I got here as fast as I could." He sighed heavily.

Tonks was sitting beside the door, covering her face with her hand and crying. Her hair was dark black, hanging in her face. An auror stood at the door beside her, watching her carefully.

"Dora..." Remus gasped, sitting beside her. A long scabbed cut had been slashed across he cheek, haphazardly treated to send her on her way. The dark blood made her face look even more translucent under the lights. "What happened to you?"

"I didn't mean to! I don't have a clue what happened!" She coughed. " _Please, I swear, I didn't mean to_!"

"Shhh... Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" He encouraged, stroking her head.

"I... There was this suspect that we had to go find and... it was like when I saw him, I couldn't _stop_ _myself_." She said in a disjointed voice. "It's like it _wasn't_ _me._ And now my job's on the line... _I_ _ruined everything..._ " She continued to cry, her body curling up.

Remus saw her and had no idea how to handle the situation. Of all the reasons he expected to end up in court, _this_ was not one of them. "What... what did you _do_?"

"I... I hurt someone. While we were arresting him, I... hit him with a curse..." She said softly. "I didn't mean to... I just..."

"Are they _firing_ you?" He asked in shock.

Her shoulders slumped upwards and her mouth hung open. "No, I... I don't know, I don't know _what_ _happened..._ "

"You don't know why you did it?" He clarified.

Tonks tried to regain her composition, straightening herself up. She retold the story of the man in Knockturn Alley and how he open fired at them. Remus sat, listening carefully as she spoke, his hand smoothing over her hair.

"You... you used an unforgivable during an arrest?" He asked quietly.

"I-I think so... but that's _not_ what I said... _not what I said_... He looked so hurt, _physically..._ " She sniffled.

His heart his completely sunk down into his stomach, the two twisting and tying themselves together. Remus _knew_ she wouldn't do something like this; then again, he had sworn the same thing for Sirius. But even in her blubbering incoherence, the last things she seemed was _insane_. _Sirius_ had walked into the Ministry, cackling, saying how _he deserved every bit of what he got_. But was this a manipulation tactic? He was so sure that _he knew his Dora_ , and what reason, what evidence, did they have that she had _genuinely_ malicious intent?

"They aren't taking you to Azkaban, are they?" He inquired.

She shook her head fiercely. "They're letting me go. No one can prove anything one way or the other, so it's just... god, I'm going _craz_ _y_."

"You're not crazy. You're working yourself to death." Remus helped her to her feet. "Let's have your mum take a look at that cut."

xxxxx

Back at the house, Andromeda greeted them with a sleeping Teddy in her arms. "Where have you two-" She gasped. "Nymphadora, your face-"

"Yeah, we know." Tonks growled. "I'll wash it, it'll heal, I'll morph away the scar, it'll be fine."

He mother shook her head"Dora, just let me-"

"It's _fine._ " Tonks snapped back.

"Dora, _hey_ ," Remus lead his wife to sit down in the kitchen. "I know it's rough and you had a long night, but I need you to stay with me."

Andromeda passed the baby over to his father, his tufts of hair a blissful dark blue. "He's been good, thankfully, but he's a little fussy. I don't think he's running a temperature, but he might be getting sick."

Remus nodded. "I just got over something, but I think Dora's been feeling unwell for a couple of days, so I'm not surprised. He _has_ been teething as well, that could be it." Tonks sat with a sour expression, her mother fluttering around her, applying some nasty looking ointment to her cheek. "Dora, maybe you should hold off on the next mission stay back for a bit."

She shook her head. "I'm just tired. Mother, could you _please_ use the most _painful_ medicines on my face? I'm _quite_ enjoying it." Tonks spat.

Her mother frowned, flicking her on the ear as she left to return to the medicine cabinet. "Watch the sass, or else your kid's going to grow up to be just like you."

Tonks laughed bitterly under her breath. "And how'd that work for _you_?"

" _Dora_..." Remus touched her shoulder. "It's been a rough day, but come on, you need to listen to her."

She rubbed her temples. "It's been a rough _year_."

"I know it has." He reassured, kissing the top of her head. "Let's get you to bed."


	16. An Evening at the Burrow

The people at the Burrow happily greeted the family as they always did. Bill and Charlie, who was home visiting, happily embraced their old friend, ruffling her hair to make her smile. Percy was even there, waving his hand at her, before turning to the couch with his book. George was next to him with a cup of tea resting between his knees. George was more distant, shaking her hand formally and cracking a joke that seemed _too_ forced, but Tonks laughed at anyways.

Molly's smile was warm as ever, enthusiastically hugging the couple and commenting on how big the baby was getting. Teddy was better at recognizing faces and voices, becoming excited at the sight of his second grandmother Molly, letting out a squeal of laughter and flashing his two little teeth. His father kissed his head, pulling the small hat off of his head, the baby's hair turning ginger red as his hands made grabby gestures towards the woman.

"Oh, Sweetheart, hello, darling," Molly sighed with a smile, taking the baby. Teddy's hands reach up, grabbing ahold of a strand of her hair and putting it in his mouth before his mother intervened.

"Teddy, Teddy, _no,"_ Tonks urged, reaching over to pry him off of her.

"It's alright, Tonks, you don't have to worry. I've had my hair pulled much worse by _other_ tiny red haired babies. It's so nice seeing another little one around..." Molly assured, gently bouncing him.

Tonks nodded and smiled. "If you'd like to hold him for a bit, feel free to."

Remus's hand rested on the small of his wife's back, and he held her closer to him. Arthur stood up from his seat, shaking his hand and smiling.

"Remus, Tonks, are you three doing alright?" He smiled, adjusting his glasses on his nose.

"We're doing great. Teddy's getting bigger, doesn't like sleeping as much, though." Remus rolled his eyes.

Arthur turned to his wife, the baby turning to him and grinning. "What's this about not sleeping, huh?" Teddy let out an excited shriek in reply. "It's true, then, is it?"

The couple headed into the living room, sitting next to each other on an overstuffed sofa. "Molly looked happier with Teddy than she has in _forever._ " Tonks whispered.

Tonks kicked off her boots and curled up between her husband and Charlie, Remus protectively wrapping his arm around her shoulder, and she smiled up at him.

Fleur was still quiet, perched on the arm of the armchair where Bill was, her arms tucked in against her body. "Tonks? 'ou are doing well?"

"Yeah, we're good." She yawned, leaning onto her husband.

"Your eyes are all dark." Bill pointed out. "And your face... what happened to it?"

"Took a nasty hex." Tonks shrugged. "It's been, what, a good... forty-eight hours since I've gotten more than a nap in."

"See, this is why I am _never_ having kids." Charlie declared.

The door opened again, two tired boys shuffling inside and dumping their snow-covered winter clothes into the floor.

"... I can _not_ believe he had us out in a _snowstorm."_ Ron huffed in annoyance, shaking the snow off of his jacket.

" _Tonks_!" Harry called out of frustration. "Your partner's been in charge of us the past _week_ and he's trying to kill us! He's being such an ass..."

"Oh, poor thing," Tonks pouted, turning to her husband. "Dwight has to put up with the infant aurors."

"I mean, the man's shorter than _you._ No wonder he's in a bad mood; it's probably colder for him down there." Remus chuckled.

"He had us _running_ in the _snow._ " Ron exclaimed.

"And _did_ you?" Remus asked curiously, putting on a stern look.

"Of course we _fucking ran_..." He wheezed.

"Oi! No cussing around the baby!" Tonks faked a frown.

"Of course we _bloody ran._ " Ron groaned, picking a roll off of a plate that was sitting on the counter as he passed by. "Tonks, did Mad-Eye ever have you to do running like that?"

"Ronald, no, wait for everyone else." Molly swatted his arm, walking over to the sofa and setting Teddy down in his mother's lap. He looked at Tonks with big eyes, his mouth hanging open. "It's on the table if you all want to get washed up."

Tonks snorted with laughter. "Of course he _told_ me to. But I was _special._ "

"Well, good, I'm glad to hear _you're_ being a prime example of listening to authority." Remus rolled his eyes.

The collection of Weasleys and the Lupins eventually made their way to the dinner table. Teddy, who had a very open view of the dinner table from his mother's lap, eagarly ate spoonfuls of mashed up carrots and tried to topple over her plate onto her lap, declaring he was finished by spitting up a mouthful onto her shirt.

Tonks and Charlie laughed, Remus watching in slight disgust. "He's just jealous that I have successfully made in ten month without getting completely thrown up on." She told her friend. "He forgot to burp him once and got formula _all_ down his arm."

"Yes, it was just _hilarious._ " Remus said dryly.

Tonks wiped off the baby's mouth and he cooed at her, and stuffing his fist into his slobbery mouth. She made a funny face, the baby erupting into giggles, his hair turning bright blue and she changed her hair to match it. Remus reached over, tickling his foot, and the baby kicked his feet, his grey eyes lighting up at his father.

" 'e is such a cutie." Fleur sighed lovingly, leaning over the table to get a better look at Teddy. " 'e is just so entertaining to watch, 'is 'air changing colourz like zat."

Tonks snickered. "Thank you. You know, maybe if _you and_ _Bill..."_

Bill laughed nervously. "No thanks, I think we're fine the way we are."

Fleur shrugged at her friend, grinning. "Maybe down 'ze road."


	17. Insecurities

"I don't exactly know what to get you0 for Valentine's day." Remus said pointedly, looking over in the mirror at his wife.

"Assuming _you_ don't eat all of it, you can get me chocolate." Tonks said in a sing-song voice, bumping him with her hip. Spitting into the sink and setting her toothbrush in a cup next to the sink, she turned to him smiling. "Or just buy me a really cheesy card that I can hang over my desk and I'll keep it forever."

Remus rolled his eyes, pursing his lips to hide his smile. "You don't even _like_ chocolate."

"I do _too_." She stated firmly.

"Since _when?"_ He shot back skeptically.

"Since I got pregnant with Teddy. Don't you remember?"

"No, I don't. I'm sorry." Remus sounded defeated, shaking his head. He wrapped his arms around her middle. "I just remember you saying you _didn't_ like chocolate."

"Then don't worry about it." She turned to look over her shoulder and gently kissed him. "Anything you get me will be perfect."

Remus nuzzled the back of his wife's neck. "I'm _supposed_ to know these things."

Tonks turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a weak smile. "I told you not to worry. I promise. I'm am easy to please woman and _you_ know me better than you think, so give yourself some credit."

Looking at her, Remus noticed something was strange about his wife. He couldn't quite put his finger on it at first, but in the moment she seemed unfamiliar to him.

"Dora," Remus pulled back and looked her up and down. "Are you... are you morphing something about yourself?"

Tonks looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What?"

He squeezed her waist. "You're changing yourself, aren't you? You just look... _different_. I can't really describe it."

Tonks scowled, pulling back and turning to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. As she brushed her fingers through her hair, it shifted from it's bubbly pink into it's regular messy dark bob. Her nose became slightly wider, as did her hips, and her face filled in. The skin on her forehead was blotchier, and she seemed to be slightly shorter. She sighed and turned back to her husband. "Better?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Remus threw in quickly as to keep her from becoming offended.

"No, I'm just a little bit insecure." Tonks looked away from his reflection and distracted herself by wiping off the counter with a hand towel.

"I-I don't really know what to say to you. I guess I'm the shit husband for not noticing the difference." Remus admitted. "Do you always change yourself like that?"

Tonks shrugged. "I do sometimes, but I stopped a lot of it when we got together. I usually don't change myself _that_ much. I think I pretty much stopped 'dressing myself up' like that we were dating and got married." Her voice was nochalant and casual, as if she was explaining any other mundane task. "It's just that... you know, I put on weight with Teddy and I'm not exactly used to being with someone who doesn't ask me to change for them. I didn't realize it _bothered_ you-"

Remus sighed. "Dora, I want you to understand something. _Dora_ ," Tonks tightened her lips, looking up at her husband with raised brows and he reached out to take her free hand that was sitting on the counter. "I'm sorry if I upset you. I didn't mean to, really. I don't see anything wrong with you either way."

She shrugged, her eyes shifting back away.

"I'm sorry." Remus pressed. "Correct me if you think I'm wrong, but if, deep down somewhere, you can love _me_ of all people, I know that somewhere you can see what I see in you, can't you?"

"I'm afraid that you say that when in reality you're just saying it to be nice." Tonks sulked. She promptly shook head. "Forget it. We won't talk about it, so let's not."

He tried to hide his slightly miffed expression, replacing it with a compassionate one. "I'm sorry. I mean it. I don't want you feeling like you have to make me happy with how you look. I think you're beautiful no matter what you are."

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, looking back over her shoulder. "And would you still be saying that even if you weren't trying to get into my pants?"

Remus sighed dramatically, staring up at the ceiling. "You got me." Tonks laughed feebly, leaning forward against his chest. He smiled down at her, pressing his nose against hers. "I'm going to love you no matter what you look like, no matter what happens. Maybe I am _just_ like everyone else you've seen, asking you to look a certain way."

She kissed him, resting her forehead on his. "Remus, what are you insecure about? I think I know, but I want to hear it from you."

He shrugged. "I'm insecure about you and Teddy. I worry about what you look like with someone like _me_ beside you, but you know I worry about everything like that."

"I love you too, no matter what you look like either." Tonks whispered.

He kissed down her neck, causing her to shiver, and her cheeks turning pink as she barely tilted her head away from him. He grabbed her by the hip, pulling her in closer to him. "Just promise me no more of this faking around all the time, would you? I don't want you to keep it up like this."

"Come on, Rem," Tonks teased playfully. "There's no need to be so hard on yourself like that, you know I'm not _always_ faking it."

"Oh, very funny. Aren't you just a comedian?" He gave her an annoyed look before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'm going to go ahead to bed."

Tonks smiled to herself, rolling her eyes. "Whatever. I'll be there in a minute."


	18. Mr Corey

"Wotcher, Dwight." Tonks yawned as she stepped inside her office, unwrapping her scarf from her neck. "I heard you had the trainees while I was gone."

"Mornin'." Dwight chuckled. "Yeah, loads o' fun."

"They didn't quite say the same about you though."

He shrugged, smiling. "I'll grow on 'em."

"So besides terrorizing the trainees, what'd you do over the weekend?" She inquired, slumping down at her desk.

"I have devised a plan." Dwight announced loudly, pinning up a piece of parchment up behind his desk.

"Does this have anything to do with the Corey man or...?"

"Ther' are twenty-six letters in the English alphabet. Knowing tha' your name starts with an N, I can make a chart of every name with an A, E, I, O, or U after it an' you can look it over to see if I got it." He declared. "Can' be that hard, lookin' for a four syllable name that starts with N."

"Congrats, Dwight, you know how the alphabet works. I'm not telling you my name." Tonks looked up at him in slight worry before turning to her papers. "Also, Y is sometimes a vowel."

Dwight was skeptical, looking over at the chart he made. "Not sure if you're saying tha' ta be funny or ta be serious."

"You know, if you want to know _that_ bad, go _ask_ someone. _Someone_ around here has to know." Tonks urged.

"I did." He replied. "No one'd tell me."

"Well that's just too bad." She sighed.

"Come on, it can' be _that_ terrible. I mean, look a' me, I'm named after a bloody _bird_ -"

Their conversation was cut short when a scout knocked on the door, stepping inside. "We've got news."

Dwight jumped up from his seat. "Let's go." He walked out to a small crowd of aurors congregating around the scout with a file in his hands. "Today, please."

"I'm coming!" Tonks shouted back, running out of the office behind him. "Do we have a report?"

"That crazy man, got his own family on ransom." The scout panted.

"We've been on him for weeks. You finally found him?" Tonks asked.

"We found another piece of property in his name. It's a small flat and we think he's holding his family there. He was seen while out buying food." The scout wheezed. "You have to hurry before he knows we know where he is."

"What are we supposed to do when we get there? What's our plan?"

"The scout said there's heavy charms posted around the entire buildin'. We break those, I'd be in the lookout for any other kinds of traps. We don't know what's going on in his head right now or what motives he has. If we can lure him out, we'll set up in the hallway to restrain him."

"We'll go in alone, or else he'll be suspicious." Tonks said firmly.

"Ya want ta go in alone? Are _you_ bloody insane?" Dwight barked.

"We'll be fine. Don't worry about me, I can handle myself." She snapped.

"Well how are ya going to coax him out?"

The two made their way towards the disapperation post, one of the few places with apperation accessibility in and out of the Ministry of Magic. "Let's make it up as we go, shall we?"

Outside the apartment, the aurors fought through the charms filling the building's halls, approaching a magically

"Keep watch. This'll take me a minute." Tonks leaned against the door, her wand pointed at the lock as she muttered the incantation. Dwight turned his back to the door, his hands on his hips. Brief me."

"We don' know what exactly he's capable of." Dwight warned. "Chances are, though, he migh' not know dark magic, but that don't mean he won' hex or kill you on sight with your badge.

"Then I'll go by myself." She stated firmly. "Who exactly is inside?"

"He's got a wife, two children and a niece."

"How old are the kids?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Can they walk? Talk?"

"I'd think so. The kids are both boys, 'bout four or five and the other is two. The niece is a little older, about twelve."

"And the wife? What's her story?"

"Mid-thirties, blonde, worked at a bank. Muggle, o' course. She'd be defenseless with the kids." He sighed. "This is terrible. You're just going to get yerself killed."

"Do you want to stay behind and get help if I call?" The lock popped. She looked over at him.

"What's our signal?" He demanded.

"We don't have-"

"Yell." Dwight said quickly, ducking around the corner. "I'll be there as fast as I can."

"But-" She dodged the doorway, wary of anything she could set off or fall over, carefully measuring her way out. The apartment was dark, only thin rays of sunlight shining around the blinds. "Mr. Corey?"

The light flipped on, an angry scruffy man greeting her, wand drawn. He certainly looked the maniac part, in her opinion. "Don't take another step." Corey barked. "Who are you? How did you find me?"

She drew her hands out of her pockets, holding them up calmly. "I'm not here to hurt you, sir."

"You broke my _fucking lock,_ you bitch!" He growled, jumping at her. "Who do you think you are?"

"You can cuss at me all you want. I'm not here for a fight." Tonks replied calmly

"Do you have the money or not? _Do you_?"

With her hands still up defensively, she walked over to the window, curiously looking out the thick curtains. "No, but I am an ally."

"If you don't have the money, then you ain't shit to me." He laughed, following her movements. " _You're_ with the government. _You_ found me. _You're_ here to get me. That's not gonna happen, Sweetie. I ain't no Sirius Black, I ain't what the papers make me out to be."

She reached inside her coat, drawing out her wand ans dropping it on the hard wood floor, her hands still raised. "You aren't _wrong_. I _am_ with the government and they know of your location, yes. That's why I'm here to warn you."

"Take your coat off." He demanded. She complied. "Empty your pockets."

She sighed turning out her pockets to show they only held her badge. "I'm not being tracked." He patted down her clothes, examining them closely. "They saw you grocery shopping." She watched as he picked through her things for something, what she thought was money.

"And they sent... _you_?"

"Yes. And if you behave, I won't run for help. If you let me in on this, then I'll leave, saying I searched the whole place." She warned.

"What do you want?" Corey demanded.

"Forty percent."

He laughed. "Thirty, tops."

"Forty..." She walked into the kitchenette, grazing her hands over the drawers. "And the location of the hostages." She leaned on the counter smiling at him.

"Do it. You're only hurting yourself." He shook his head, still smiling.

"Oh, but here's the thing. I have a scout waiting out in the street. You hex me, I call for help and you're done for."

"A _scout_? I ain't afraid of them, Sweetie." Corey laughed in a raspy voice.

"Suit yourself, but you're already a wanted man and I can have an armed guard here in seconds." She sighed.

" _Thirty-five_. How do I know that you're being honest?" Corey challenged.

"I call him off, I get you to a safer, more remote location." She smirked. "You got three kids here, right?"

"What about 'em?"

" _Come on, Mr. Corey._ I'm a mother. I know how to make a kid shut up." She coaxed, becoming annoyed with the man.

"What else you got?"

"I'm a well trained senior officer. No one would think of me, of all people. Hell, I hid under the nose of the government for three years. I can manipulate disguises. And you're time's running out. You need me. Do we have a deal or do I call the scout?"

He thought carefully. "Fine. Deal."

She smiled, drumming her fingers on the counter. "Where are they?"

He nodded his head to the bathroom, leading her to a closet. He unlocked the door and she stood hesitantly behind him, keeping her distance. The door swung open, the mother sitting in the floor with the three kids crammed together, distressed behind their silencing charms, an invisible barrier keeping them inside. Their desperate eyes stared up at the two.

Tonks stumbled back. "That's enough."

He complied nonchalantly, shutting the door. "So we need to discuss moving them, but first, you need to call the scout off."

She let out a sour laugh. "Like _hell_."

Corey's first instinct was to lunge at her, but she stopped him with her arms at the last second. She swung her leg and his knee and he advanced, grabbing ahold of her wrists. He pushed her back into a wooden cabinet, contents sliding and rattling onto the floor and toilet, Tonks's head being grinded back into a sheet of glass.

Several people stormed the bathroom. Corey threw her straight at the sink, her head hitting the porcelain before blacking out on the linoleum.


	19. Expecting the Worst

**AN: Just wanted to stop by and say thank you to all of my readers for sticking with me through 20 chapters! Feel free to leave reviews and I hope everyone had a good holidays! This may very well be the last chapter I write for 2017**

"What the _hell_ were you thinking?" Andromeda's infuriated voice drew Tonks from her dreamless sleep.

Tonks shook her head, touching her forehead. The was a throbbing pain in her temples, but besides that, she seemed to be unscathed. "Damn, will you just tell me what's going on? How long was I out for?"

"A few hours." Andromeda glared at her daughter, her arms crossed as she paced at the foot of the bed. "You know, your husband's outside with your son and you almost got yourself _killed,_ _Nymphadora_."

Tonks quickly pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Is he angry? Can I talk to him? What happened?"

"Of _course he's angry._ " Her mother exclaimed. "Not only did you risk your own life, but you were s _elfish_ enough to throw yourself in there-"

" _Selfish?"_ Tonks demanded. "I was being _selfish?_ I did my _job_ to _save_ people and I was being _selfish_?"

"When you risked more than your _own_ life, Dora, yes! I would call that _selfish!"_ Her mother shouted.

Tonks went pale with fear. "Where's Dwight? Is he okay? Did anyone else get killed? Is the family okay?"

"Corey's in custody, the family's recovering fine. They'll have their memories wiped and everything will work out. And as for your coworkers, no one was seriously hurt." She explained. "Butwhydid _you_ go?"

"I _had_ to!" She scoffed.

"You didn't even _think_ of anything but _yourself_ , did you? Were you trying to hide it? Did you even consider talking to Remus or myself? Did you consider telling him or were you hoping you'd get yourself hurt and-" Andromeda trailed off.

" _Why are you mad at me_?" Tonks asked desperately. "I'm _sorry_. I thought you were accepting the risks of my job! I thought _Remus_ accepted the risks! And I was _not_ about to be killed, I'm _fine."_

"I know you might not come home, but to not only put yourself in danger... Do you know how hard you hit that sink? Imagine if you had-" Andromeda stopped herself short.

"I know." Her daughter said quietly. "I could've killed myself, but I didn't, thankfully. I don't want to think about what it would've been like for you or for Remus or for Teddy..."

"Remus, especially." She nodded, folding her arms. Andromeda looked over at her daughter in disappointment. "Are you two fighting?"

Tonks was confused. "No, why? Did he tell you that we're fighting?"

"No, but he said you've been working long hours. And now with _this_ , I can't help but wonder if you had ulterior motives."

"What? Did you think I was trying to prove a point or something?"

"Well that's exactly what I was thinking." Andromeda gave a low sigh, rubbing her face. "Were you worried he's going to be angry with you?"

" _Was_ I?" She clarified.

"Is that why you've been going out on rough missions? Are you avoiding him?"

"Because I- Mum, what are you _talking about?_ Remus and I are perfectly fine. Did _he_ tell you that it wasn't?"

"I'm going to go get Remus. The two of you figure it out." Andromeda declared as she marched out of the room. Tonks sat up, folding her hands in her lap as she waited for her return. But instead of bringing him with her, Tonks could see her mother taking Teddy and standing out in the hall, her husband coming in alone with an uncomfortable expression. He shifted his posture, standing beside the bed, hesitant to make eye contact.

"Are you angry with me?" She asked almost immediately, scooting to the edge of the bed.

He shook his head. "I don't know what to think."

"I didn't realize this was so serious." She admitted in a low voice. "Mum seemed pretty pissed..."

"Are you afraid to talk to me?" Remus asked in a serious tone. "Are you worried I'm going to overreact if you do? Dora, I'm not like that. I learned from my mistakes and-"

Tonks held her hand up to bring him to a halt. "What are you talking about? Are you talking about the mission? Because it's not like that. I'm _not_ hiding anything. I was called in and so I went, there's nothing else to say."

"Did you... _Did you not know_?" Remus stammered, a shocked expression on his face.

"Not know what...?"

He sat down slowly on the bed, reaching over, and squeezing her hand feebly. He rested their hands in her lap, his thumb anxiously rubbing over hers. " _Well_... when you came in, they had to look you over and..."

"Is there something _wrong with me_?" She demanded in a panic. " _Spit it out!_ What _happened_?"

"I'm not... Well I'm not sure I'm supposed to be the one telling you..." He frowned.

Tonks's hair became red at the roots. "Remus, I _swear if you don't tell me..."_ She threatened.

"It's just that we all thought... We thought _you knew._.." She studied his face carefully; He looked absolutely distraught and guilty about telling her the news. "You didn't know about the baby, did you?"

"Come again?" She tilted her head slightly, looking confunded. " The. what? You think I'm..."

"Do you want me to go grab your file? They have it documented and everything."

"So I'm..." She couldn't quite bring herself to say the word. Tonks touched her stomach, rubbing small circles with her thumb, a sober stare in her eyes. "How long? Is... _it_ okay?"

"Roughly six weeks, I think." He affirmed in a disconnected voice. "So about... late December, early January. And... _yes_ , it seems to be doing fine."

"January." She repeated with a sigh. "I didn't think... I didn't expect something like this..."

"Neither did I."

"Is it too soon do you think? _Please_ don't be angry with me, I honestly had no idea." She pleaded. "If we need to sort something out, we _will._ Maybe we're not ready for this. Maybe it's just too soon and..."

"I'm not mad." He held on tightly to her hand, leaning over to kiss her head. "Let's just talk this over first."


	20. Accepting the Unexpected

**AN: I lied. Here you go, three days early.**

Remus turned over onto his side, grabbing his wife by the waist from behind. Tonks winced, setting her hand on her husband's. Their room was yellow, the morning light shining in through the curtains, but neither wanted to get out of bed just yet. Their night had been quiet tossing and turning, both very aware of the other's presence despite their lack of acknowledgement. "Your fingers are cold."

"Sorry." Remus groaned, curling up closer to her.

She smiled, picking nervously at her fingernails. _So it was true. _When she had been discharged from the hospital, a healer firmly threatening her to take it easy for a while until her head was healed. The last thing she needed was her already clumsy feet to trip her up worse now that the room kept spinning every time she stood up. As she had gotten dressed for bed, some strange fear kept her hands far from brushing over or touching her stomach, despite the lack of any bumps, as if something unexpected would pop out at he through her skin.

"Do you think it's too soon to have another baby?" She expressed.

Remus was still half-asleep, blinking and forcing his eyes open. "Teddy'll be over a year old by the time this one gets here." He tried to say in a light hearted tone.

"You're sure you aren't angry with me?" She asked, desperatly searching for a response.

"I'm... No, I'm fine." He replied in a weird tone. "I just need to let this settle down first."

She rolled over to face him. "You're lying through your teeth, aren't you?"

"Dora, stop worrying about me." Remus told her in a slightly frustrated voice. Her breathes became nervous and ragged.

"Remus, I don't want you to leave," She choked back tears. "but I'm-I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you have to stick around for a baby you-you don't want. _Maybe_ we can-"

" _Dora_ ," He interrupted. " _I'm not leaving,_ baby or not"

Tonks went quiet, and for a while, the only sound she made being a sniffing sound when she wiped around her eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm still crying, I can't make myself stop."

"You were like this with Teddy." He reminded. "I can't believe you didn't know."

"I didn't pick up on Teddy either, and that's saying something." She sighed. "What if everyone thinks we're being careless?"

"They won't think that, Dora." He coaxed.

"But we _were_ , weren't we?"

"You need to stop overthinking this." He assured.

"I mean, do we even have enough room for another kid? Are we going to be able to afford-"

"I know you're frightened by this right now. I am too. But you can't just worry yourself to death over this." He interjected.

"What if..." She gave him a solemn look. "What if the baby's..."

"I know." He sighed. "That was my first thought. But we made a plan for Teddy in case something happened, didn't we?"

"You don't even sound like yourself." Tonks snuggled closer to him and he closed his eyes, resting his chin on her head.

"I'm trying to not think about this is all." Remus muttered.

"Maybe... _maybe_ we don't... keep the baby." Tonks forced out.

He blinked open his eyes, looking at her with concern. "You don't want the baby, do you? Why didn't you just say so?"

"It's not _that_. It's more complicated than that." She grumbled.

"It's complicated as in you're still scared of me leaving, aren't you?" He urged. "Dora, I want you to talk to me about this."

"I'm... I'm just apprehensive. I mean, we got lucky once, what are the odds we get lucky with this one? The medical bills will be _atrocious_ , we'll be paying for twice the amount of potions, not even to mention baby items. Why aren't you more distressed about this? Shouldn't you be upset?"

"I _am_ anxious. I _am_ terrified and worried about this baby. I _am_ apprehensive that we might not have enough money for this." Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His eyes were squinting and tired. "I learned something with Teddy. We had these worries with him. And yes, this _is_ going to be difficult to say the least, but... Isn't it up to us to take care of our children, no matter what?"

"You... you _really_ do want this baby, don't you? I never expected that sort of response from you." Tonks admitted.

"You think I don't like children?"

"I never expected you to voluntarily choose to have a kid over not having one." She sighed. "But thisn't _my_ kid or _your_ kid. This is _our_ kid and we need to be on the same page on whether or not we really want this baby."

"Do you?" He searched her eyes intensely for a response.

"Do _you?_ " She pushed back.

There was a brief pause between the two, before diving bacm into the emptiness that filled the room. " _Of course_ I want this. I spend everyday with Teddy and I wouldn't trade it for anything." He finally spoke up.

Their tense silence was broken by Tonks's nervous laugh, her smile spreading onto his. Her head bobbed up and down for a moment, and her hand entangled in his. "I can't believe it..." She murmured. " _We're going to have a baby_."

He kissed her head, his other hand extending out to her stomach, still yet to show any physical signs of the life that was inside. " _We're going to have a baby._ " Remus repeated, his voice less enthused and more exhausted, but still showing his care and compassion in his own way.


	21. The Adventures of Being One

Teddy had begun walking almost without his parents immediate knowledge, though it was more through surprise rather than carelessness. Teddy was a curious baby; he liked to explore the hair, faces, and clothes of anyone holding him, which only escalated when he was crawling independently of his parents' grasps. The house quickly became Teddy-proof and anything within the child's reach was confiscated to higher ground.

His parents assumed the best of him that even if he was a little bit slow, he would eventually catch up with other kids his age. He didn't seem to be interested in talking as much as they had hoped, humming, grunting, squealing, and babbling mumbles instead of trying to learn to piece together small words. Whether he knew it or not, however, Teddy learned to walk seemingly on his own, which caused frighten for both of his parents.

Teddy's first encounter was with his father, demonstrating his use of doorknobs on doors that weren't quite shut and nearly catastrophic headfirst tumble out of the door. Remus found it more and more impossible to take his eyes off the child when he would turn around to find him in any unshut closet or bathroom. Teddy soon found the fun in playing with toilet paper rolls before they were promptly whisked away from the grasp of his tiny palms. His first encounter was with his mother, nearly leading to her falling out of bed when she looked up to find her toddler, who had used a blanket and a chair to maneuver himself over the bars of his crib and further using crawling and other furniture to navigate the hallway, standing almost directly in front of her sleeping face.

Teddy proved himself to be quite capable motor wise, if not _exceedingly talented_ , opening low cabinets and drawers, knocking over books and glasses, and stealing snacks and toys from bags on the floor. But no matter where he went, his parents were hurrying a few feet behind to reduce the spills and stop objects from going into his inquisitive and slobbery mouth.

"No, no, no," Remus warned, picking Teddy up in his arms. The child's fascination with the locking mechanisms on the cabinet doors was replaced with his realization that his mother had been one short with her purchase and one lone cabinet remained unhampered and welcoming to him. Nothing inside could potentially hurt him, in fact, Teddy found the sound of metal and plastic bowls bouncing around and rolling across the tile kitchen floor to be a wonderful source of entertainment. "Teddy, _no._ "

Teddy turned to look at his father, expecting a look of reassurance and backing. His hair was vibrantly green and yellow, the hue almost as jarring as the metal being hit against the floor.

" _Teddy_..." Remus griped, carrying Teddy over to the kitchen table, setting him down on a chair to collect the bowls. "Can't you sit still for just a moment? You can't do that..."

He was already halfway up the table when his father returned, exasperated and rushing over to catch the stumbling child before he hit his head on the low hanging light fixture. "Teddy, _no._ Did you hear me? _No._ " Remus stated firmly in an angry tone. The child cowered back, his eyes shifting away in embarrassment and fist sliding into his mouth. Satisfied, Remus lowered Teddy to the floor, ushering him over in the direction of his beloved stuffed animal, Howard.

Teddy remained content for a while, carrying the sad elephant by the trunk to his favourite hiding spot: behind the pillows on the sofa (that was, until the pillows were inevitably kicked or punched off).

"Thank you..." Remus sighed. His moment of relief was quickly flushed out by an unnerving fear. _Two_ sets of tiny hands, reaching and grabbing at things. _Two_ pairs of feet, running as fast as they could into hiding. _Two_ sets of mischievous minds, digging through all the nooks and crannies they could until they found interest in something sharp, poisonous, loud, or breakable. He rubbed his forehead. With one, he was working full time to keep his son from a seemingly innocent threat that would become a stepping stone for the _next_.

"Oh no..." Teddy had found a very shiny and very glass cup resting on an end table that appeared to be just light enough to be picked up by two, uncontrolled hands, leaving his father just enough time to reach for his wand before the thing shattered to pieces on the floor.

Tonks was now home routinely early every evening, being practically banned from her duties as senior officer and constrained to her desk for eight grueling hours. "It's me!" She called, habitually dumping her stuff in the floor beside the door.

"I wouldn't do that!" Remus called back, Teddy in one arm, and in search for a tall place to set the glass.

She stared down at her bag before picking it back up. "Right, yeah, _sorry!_ "

"How was work?" He asked, fronting a smile instead of his exhausted and annoyed glare.

"Are you okay? Are you _out of breath_?" Tonks asked worridly. She walked across the kitchen, picking up a stray mixing bowl from against the wall. "What happened? An avalanche?"

"No, a one year old with super strength." He explained, Teddy's hair glowing pink to match his mother's. "And work?"

 _"Mornin', Pinks." Dwight smiled cheerfully, rocking forward towards her on his toes. His face was now decorated with a bright purple bruise around his left eye. "Heard the big news."_

 _"Bugger off." She sighed, unwilling to muster up the energy to fight him off._

 _He smiled cheekily. "Auror Tonks, I dunno what to even think o' ya now! Been messin' aroun', have we?"_

 _"Dwight, I'm married and-"_

 _"An' I got you a lil' somethin'."_

 _"Dwi-"_

 _He happily dropped a stack of papers in front of his partner, causing the desk to rattle and her to wince. "Guess who gets ta do my paperwork for the next eight months?"_

Tonks groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. "Angry family members and more paperwork than I ever expected. Oh, and then I get the most _boring_ cases. _Some_ _dick and his_ _tax fraud case!_ "

"Shh," Remus chuckled, placing a hand over his son's ear. Teddy smiled, making grabby hands to his mother, who scooped him up into her arms with a smile. "Let's give Daddy a break, shall we? How about I take care of dinner tonight?"

He laughed nervously. "I hope you don't plan on doing both of those things simultaneously."


	22. Happy Birthday

**AN: Apparently, I have no idea how to write, but here you go.**

New moons were Remus's favourite times for obvious reasons, and having a birthday land on one was all he could've asked for. For the only day of the year that he got older, he'd prefer to at least not have to feel like it, or worse, spend it worrying if he'd even survive to live another year.

Molly Weasley had insistently invited the family over, but Tonks argued back and in the end, it was she who won. The small house felt cramped, with Molly and Arthur, as well as Bill, Fleur, Percy, George, Harry, and Ron all congregating in the general area of the kitchen. Percy and George looked out of place, and as did Bill and Fleur, though no one seemed to appear to be disinclined to attend. Tonks was eager in conversation with anyone who'd talk back with her, Teddy happily eating mashed up potatoes from her spoon.

Tonks proposed her husband to open the cards and small presents that had been brought stubbornly against his wishes, but made him smile nontheless. Remus almost _never_ got birthday cards over the past several years. His mother used to send them when she was alive and his father's signature was always signed by her. Sirius, James, and Peter banned together for his birthdays just as they did on everyone's, putting all their effort into elaborate pranks and parties for the birthday recipient. The past few years he had occasionally received perhaps a book or a card from someone who happened to remember or felt guilty after the fact when he assured them not to worry.

" _Happy Birthday, Remus. I'm glad to see you finally made it to forty. Hope you enjoy this; it made me think of_ _you. Sincerely Yours, Bill Weasley."_ He read off the card. Remus smiled to himself, tearing open the package, Bill watching with a smug grin. Starting the Christmas before, the two had begun an unspoken competition of buying the other ridiculously hideous presents. In the package was a pair of comically horrendous old-looking socks, meticulously folded. Remus chuckled and set them in his lap, looking over at Bill. "Thank you. I'm glad to hear you know my tastes well."

"Here," Tonks leaned over handing him two cards. He unfolded the top card, setting down the envelope and other card.

" _Happy Birthday!_ " Remus read the paper card aloud. _"Lo_ _ve you very much and I'm so proud of you, Old Man!_ _Love, Dor_ _a."_

He smiled and stared down at the neat writing. Tonks wasn't the most artsy person to ever live, but she had done the best to her ability to hand make her husband his own birthday card, decorating the front with doodles of different colourful flowers that could at least resemble and be called flowers.

"Zat iz so sweet." Fleur enthused, leaning closer to have a better look.

"There's two there." Tonks reminded, pointing towards the other simple handmade card.

" _Happy Birthday, Dad! We're so proud of you!"_ Remus read. He paused at the signature, smiling at what she had written. " _Lots of l_ _ove, Teddy and Baby Lupin."_

Fleur's expression went shocked, her hands cupping around her mouth. Several other people had similar and excited expressions, chattering among the small dining room, but there were a couple of worried faces that looked to Remus for a response, especially Harry.

" _There_ , now _I_ got to tell _you._ " Tonks perked up, relaxing her shoulders proudly.

He fixed his face to have wide eyes and an open mouth. " _What_? I had no _idea_!" She averted her eyes with an annoyed smile, and Remus laughed along with her hardly-amused chuckled.

The guests cleared out in pairs, leaving Remus and Tonks to wash dishes while their son slept on and off in the living room.

Teddy reached out towards his father. Remus put his arms around both of them, planting kissing them on the foreheads. "Can you say happy birthday Teddy?" Tonks prompted

Teddy, who had always found happiness and laughter in anything and everything, kicked his feet when his father tickled them, his hair turning bright blue. "Habb..bubbud..." He babbled.

" _Thank you_ for the card, Little Man!" Remus smiled, leaning over and kissing behind Teddy's ear, sending the baby into more giggles.

"And what about _me_?" Tonks propagated.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, I _suppose_..."

" _Hey_!" Tonks playfully slapped his arm with her free hand and smiled. He grinned back, kissing her. Teddy slapped his palm onto his father's jaw, his face still filled with joyfulness.

"I love you, Teddy." Remus stuck his tongue out at the boy. "Mummy's being _silly._ She thinks I _forgot_ about her!" He looked over at his wife, who watched the pair proudly with shimmering eyes. "I love you too, Dora." He reinforced, his fingers softly patting his wife's stomach. " _And Baby, too_."

"Babbubub..." Teddy gurgled to his parents, awaiting their approval.

"Yeah, _baby,_ " Tonks nodded, speaking in her soft Teddy-voice, despite the weak shudder in her voice. "You're not going to be the baby around here anymore, are you? You'll be a _big brother_."

He watched her mouth intensely, but these words didn't quite make sense to him. Teddy looked over to his father, his small patchy eyebrows drawn together and his nose wrinkled in confusion. "That's alright. You'll understand eventually."

Tonks had become teary-eyed. "I... Sorry, I just... You're so good with him. You really are a good father."

"And you're a _wonderful_ mother." Remus reassured her.

She shook her head, turning to her son. "I _told you_ he'd love you no matter what. He's doesn't see you as an outcast or a _monster_ or..."

"Dora," He addressed her firmly, almost unsure of how to ease her distress without further offending her.


	23. What's In A Name?

"Hey, Remus?" A voice called from across the room and inside the bathroom. Usually when Tonks was getting ready for work, she would close the door as to keep from waking her husband up, but today the bright yellow light flooded into the still dark bedroom.

The radio sitting on the counter played the tune of some song Remus couldn't quite remember the name of, disappearing slowly as his wife turned the dial down. " _Remus_!" She sounded more annoyed this time.

"Yes, darling?" He called back, half asleep and turning his back away from the light.

"Hey, can you come here for a second?" She asked curiously, sticking her head outside of the bathroom.

"Hmm?"

"Can you... _please_? It'll only be a second. I need you look at something for me." Tonks asked in a soft voice.

"I will, if you'll give me a minute to wake up." He yawned, sitting up. He blinked his eyes open for a moments before quickly squeezing them shut again, rubbing his face. "Can you at least put a shirt on first?"

"Oh, get over yourself, _I'm_ _covere_ _d._ It's not like I'm _nake_ _d_." She huffed, crossing her arms. "And I need my shirt off."

"You _need_ it-"

"Yes, I _need_ it off. _Hurry._ " She stomped her foot and disappeared behind the doorframe.

Begrudgingly, Remus finally managed to pull himself together enough to follow her into the bathroom. Tonks was standing sideways in front of the mirror, her fingers pressing down on the upper parts on her stomach as she rhythmically sucked in and pushed out her stomach at different angles. "You summoned me?" He asked in a sleepy voice, closing his eyes against the doorway.

"Be serious for a minute." She snapped. This morning, Tonks looked more tired and sickly pale than usual, stumbling more and leaning on the counters. "Come look at this."

He stepped forward and leaned onto the counter, looking into the mirror. "What am I looking at?"

"My _stomach._ Does it look... _different?_ " She asked as she scanned her eyes up and down her ribs. Tonks seemed to be referring to a small protruding lump just above the waistband on her pants.

"Are you morphing or-"

"No, I'm not _morphing._ " Tonks argued in a frustrated tone. "I'm _pretty_ sure...I'm, um" She stopped short.

"You think you're showing?" He asked bluntly.

"I-" Her head turned down towards her stomach, then up at him worridly. "I mean, that's what it _looks_ like, doesn't it? What do you think? Am I being ridiculous about this?"

Remus looked at her, placing his hand on the bump and grinning, giving an almost sarcastic laugh. "Well, I'm not sure what else it _could_ be."

Her face lit up with a smile, her cheeks turning pink. "That's what I thought, but... I didn't want to just _assume_ it... I mean, that's really serious, right? There's a _baby_ inside of me. A _living human person_. It just all seems so... so _real_ all of a sudden."

Remus looked back down at his hand, rubbing his thumb back and forth. His chest filled with pride at the sense of being able to see physical evidence of the child. He could imagine it, all of the memories he might one day have with his family. Teddy might one day appreciate having a brother or sister to watch over, and two was definitely going to Remus's limit. There were the haunting thoughts as well, but he just kept burying those back down until they made themselves disappear.

"Hello, there." He said quietly. "Not giving Mummy a hard time, are you now, hmm? Won't be much longer and we'll know if you're a boy or a girl. Don't tell Mummy, but I think we could easily outnumber her."

"I think... _I_ think it's a girl. It'd be nice to have one around, even things out a bit." She said in a slightly smug tone.

"I hope it's a boy." Remus replied thoughtfully. "I don't think I could raise a girl."

"Oh, c'mon. Why _not_?" She asked lightly. "Don't tell me you're _afraid?_ "

"I just don't think I could do it well." He shrugged. "I don't know much about parenting a girl."

"They're not _that_ hard, it's just... different."

"The clothes, the boyfriends, the _drama_..."

" _I_ wasn't like that." She said defensively, crossing her arms. "Still not."

"Oh, Dora, I'm sure you were too. Except for you, the drama was always _about_ the boys, wasn't it?" He inquired with a smirk, brushing his nose against hers as he looked down at her.

"Oh hush it, _Mum_." She shoved him away with her hand before he quickly came back to kiss her on the cheek. "Girls aren't _that_ bad. There are good things too. They're better behaved, and they don't fight a lot."

"Either way, we don't have any names picked out." He mentioned and turned his back to the counter to lean against it. "For a boy _or_ a girl."

Tonks pursed her lips as she pulled her shirt on over her head. "I think it should be an 'E' name to match Teddy's."

"Alright." He nodded. "Maybe... Evan. Or Elijah or... I dunno, Ezra?"

"Or Elizabeth or Emma." She interjected, chuckling

"Emma's a nice name. Or maybe Evelyn. Elena?" He listed off.

" _Not_ Elena. I knew a girl named Elena in school and she... _ugh._ No, just anything _but_ Elena."

"What about... Ellen? Or Eileen?"

She shook her head. "Nothing's really coming together."

"What about something like Edalynn?"

Tonks perked up. "Edalynn... I sort of like that. _Not_ Ella Nymphadora. Not _anything_ _Nymphadora_. Don't be getting any ideas."

"Edalynn... Are we using family names then? Maybe Edalynn Andromeda?"

"Or Edalynn Hope." She suggested solemnly. "I like Edalynn Hope."

"Edalynn Hope." He nodded, staying quiet for a moment. "I like that too."

"And for a boy?"

The two went about their morning, going back and forth with names, both boy and girl, indecisive on names. Edalynn Hope seemed to be a sure enough name, but they would go back and forth second guessing and realizing how many people they didn't like until it was time for Tonks to head off for the day.

 **AN: An added note- please feel free to leave comments and reviews. I have to next couple of chapters planned, but I will be trying to take some time off to work on Until I Get It Right and Recounting, as well as my video game stories.**


	24. Too Soon

Tonks woke up in the middle of the night, restless as usual, but more confused. There was an unusual pain in her lower stomach, shooting down her legs and back. She felt nauseated, pulling herself up and stumbling into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and flipping on the bright light. Her head was dizzy, black fuzz blinding her vision. The pain was not lingering, but squeezing and twisting her insides together. Her fingers clutched the counter, her other hand touching her stomach.

She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut, adjusting her feet to keep herself from falling over. " _What the hell..._ "

Teddy had been a rough pregnancy for her, no doubt. The morning sickness, no matter how well she fronted, made her miserable all day, almost everyday, for ten months. Her back ached and she had experienced uncomfortable false contractions. She was an emotional mess the entire time to the verge of pulling her hair out for most of it. But this was eerily unnerving and frightening, her heart pounding in her chest nervously.

She finally regained enough balance, walking over to the edge of the bathtub to sit down. Was it too early for the false contractions? Yes, but maybe it wasn't the baby itself, but her dinner, upsetting her stomach. It wouldn't have been the first time something she ate out of stress or bizzare cravings caused her to have a stomach ache.

There was a weird, cold seeping feeling into her lap and down the tops of her legs.

Tonks rubbed the sleep from her eyes, looking down at her pants. She was suddenly horrified and her eyes fixated on the scene, her pounding heart skipping a beat.

She tried to think back to when she was pregnant with Teddy. Sometimes there was bleeding at the beginning. Maybe there was a mistake. Maybe this was just normal and she was beginning to panic over nothing. But there was an unsettling feeling in her stomach.

"Remus! Can you come here? Please?" _She knew this pain._ Tonks tried to calm herself down, taking big gulps of air, despite the now stabbing pains in her stomach. These were labour pains "No... _please..."_

Re.js stirred, reluctantly drawing himself out of bed, and wondered if the wife calling him was from a dream or not. There were few things that could wake him up from such a heavy sleep, and he was barely awake when he got to the door. He opened the door to be greeted by his wife, sitting up on the edge of the bathtub. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" She hadn't _just_ called his name; her voice was weak and dry, and tears running down her face in a panic.

Bright red blood had leaked onto her pink pajama pants. She was hyperventilating, eyes wide with tears she couldn't stop from pouring out of her eyes. "I-I was hurting and-" She whimpered. "We should call the doctor, or-or Mum- she'd know what to do-"

Remus's face went pale with dismay. He let go of his breath, shaking to inhale again. For him, time froze out of fear, like he would never leave that bathroom. He didn't know what to do, or what to feel. He approached her carefully, kneeling down beside her. She fell onto him, holding onto his shirt and sobbing.

"Dora... I... I think it's too late." He broke up the silence between the echoing sobs.

"Why did I mess this up? What did I do wrong?" She begged.

"Shhh..." He tried to to hug her, to hold onto her, but she couldn't even hold herself up.

" _This is my all fault..."_ She whispered into his chest, clinging onto him. " _I can't even_ _carry a baby right. It's all my fault... If we had-"_

"There's nothing we can do now..." He said softly, stroking her hair. "Dora, we can't do anything... there's nothing we can do...This _isn't_ your fault..."

"There has to be _something_..." She wepted desperately. " _There has to be..._ "

Remus shut his eyes, listening to her crying. He hadn't felt that his face had grown hot with tears of his own. "We... we need to clean you up and wait for this to pass."

She kept crying. Remus managed to get her into a position that he could set her back onto the bathtub, a troublesome feat for the both of them. He took care of the blood on the floor, stripping off her clothes and trying to wash her legs off with a washcloth. Tonks's eyelids were shut tight, but tears still escaped from them as she leaned against the cold wall, head dizzy from everything that happened. He redressed her in warm, clean clothes, making sure there was no hint of what had happened remaining.

"Remus..." She mumbled. "Is it..." She didn't know what she was asking, afraid of whatever was on the other side of her eyelids. "Was that _it_? Is it over with?"

"It's okay." He persuaded, his hand gently rubbing her leg. "No more blood for now. There's nothing. You can open your eyes." She was afraid. There was an overwhelming irrational fear that if she opened her eyes, there would somehow be _more_ blood in the bathroom: _the_ _bathtub_ , _the_ _floor_...

There was only one trace of blood in the bathroom, her eyes darting away from it. A wad of tissue paper, with a giant red... _spot_ resting on it, sat on the counter, next to the sink. "Remus, _please_ just _finish_ cleaning up... I can't look..."

He stood up, kissing her forehead. "It's okay." He promised her. "You don't have to look. I can take care of it if you want me to, I just needed to know if you wanted to- if you needed- to say goodbye first."

She gulped in air, staring up at the ceiling. " _Please_ , I just want all of this to stop."

He took her hand, helping her to her feet. "I can handle it, okay? Go back to bed."

She shuffled out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. The blood had missed the bed, leaving it a warm haven for her to crawl into, burying herself into the sheets.

Remus followed in behind her a few minutes later and she latched to him almost immediately.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I am so _sorry_..." He reapeated in a hushed tone, her tears soaking into his shirt. "Are you in a lot of pain? Are you hurting?" Tonks's head bobbed up and down, her nose sniffling as she buried her face deeper into his chest. He cradled her head with his hand, trying to smooth her hair out. "Tell me if it gets worse, will you?"

Her breathing slowed and her voice disappeared into his chest. Remus fell asleep holding her, an unsettling nervousness easing him into a dreamless trance, his arms still holding on tightly to his wife the next morning.


	25. The Aftermath

Tonks had been awake for more of the night than she had hoped, and it showed itself in the form of dark circles around her eyes and her hair going its natural choppy brown. Remus was sound asleep, but his wife knew that he was becoming restless as his usual tired snoring had ceased.

She shuffled her feet, curling her knees up to her stomach. There was a terrible empty stirring in stomach, clawing its way up to her chest. _Maybe last night was a_ _false alarm._ _Does that happen?_ Hugging her middle, she rested her head in the crook underneath her husband's chin. He didn't seem to mind, gently snuggling her back. _There's no way..._

"We need to get up." Tonks announced, burying herself deeper in his arms. He groaned and turned further onto his side to wrap his arms around her.

"We need to..." She said more firmly. He grumbled something, only further tightening his arms around her. Tonks finally gave in, trading places and pushing herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck, and letting him hide his face in her shoulder. Her mouth opened, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Remus seemed to need the same comfort his wife was confiding in him for. He wasn't crying, his breathing was heavy and strained, his eyes squeezed shut tightly. Tonks's hand brushed back and forth over the back of his head, her lips pressed together on his forehead. She knew he was going to kill himself with worry until he had answers and getting out of bed meant he'd begin to get worked up, so she didn't pry him off of her just yet.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Remus mumbled.

"Some, yeah." Tonks replied, combing her fingers through his hair. Her lips upturned slightly. This could _almost_ be any other Saturday morning for them, staying in bed until their son finally made them get up from their hideaway. Today, however, they knew they would have to muster up their courage to get up and face their problems. "Did you?"

His shoulders shrugged up. Something was still wrong as Remus was clearly not in his usual talkative mood with her.

"Are you angry?" She asked. He shook his head. "Are you just saying that?"

"No." He grumbled.

She hoped--for possibly the first and last time ever--maybe there was something still inside of him, something that surfaced when he first faced the fear of becoming a father. Maybe then he might come up with some stupid _"this is good for us"_ excuse that they both needed to find in the moment.

"It could've been _anything_..." Tonks mumbled.

"It _shouldn't have been_ anything..." He spoke up.

"I know." She replied. "But..."

He was about to ask her, "but what?", having to stop himself from starting an argument for both their sakes.

"I think... I'm glad it happened when it did." Tonks admitted, trying to lighten up her voice, but it just sunk lower into grief. "At least I had you with me. I was terrified last night and I'm not sure what I would've done without you."

He shook his head. "Are you hurting at all?"

"I'm fine. Not really, I-I meant that it's just... I'm fine." She replied. "I guess... I guess I need to go tell the people at work so they can wind me back into the schedule. And we'll have to tell the others. Mum, Bill and Fleur, Molly and Arthur, _Harry_..."

"We didn't do anything wrong, though." He said in a concerned tone. "Did we? We didn't tell them too early. We waited out what was supposed to be worst of it, so why _now?_ "

Tonks didn't know what to say to comfort him.

"The full moon is next week." Remus finally spoke up.

"Rem-"

"Am I wrong?" He asked, looking up at her.

"...and the last full moon was three weeks ago. What difference does it make, huh?" She shot back.

"What if there was something _wrong_ with-"

"Remus, just stop, _please_." Tonks urged. "I can't- I can't think about that."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Remus pulled himself away, sitting up. "What if there's something wrong with Teddy that we don't know about?"

"We _would_ know-"

"Would we?"

She sighed, sitting up, and throwing the blanket off. "I'm going to go check on Teddy and get him up."

"Is that it then?" Remus asked.

"It is." She said firmly, walking off to Teddy's room to start her day.

The auror office's usual buzz seemed to suffocate Tonks as soon as she entered. Margaret at the front desk attempted a converstion, but Tonks ducked into her office before the woman could get too chatty.

"Mornin', Pinks." Dwight said lightly, looking up at her. "Uh oh..."

"Morning." She sniffled.

"Shit, ya look like hell. You been cryin' yer eyes out?" He asked. "In the _elevator_?"

"No." She replied wearily, wiping under her eyes.

"I know them tears... Come over here, will ya? And shut the door behind you." He slid his chair back from his desk, the work on his desk completely discarded.

"Dwight, I'm _f_ -"

"Yer about to start cryin' so don't give me that crap." Dwight snapped. She dragged her chair over behind his desk, sitting down. "Why didn't ya call in sick?"

"Because I'm fi-"

"'Cause yer tryin' be a bloody-" He stopped himself short. "I'm sorry."

Tonks shook her head. "You didn't do anything."

The two sat quietly for a while. "Can I do anythin' for you? Yer husband?"

She shook her head. "We'll manage, I think."

Dwight frowned. "Do ya want me ta go tell the uppers or do you wanna?"

Tonks shook her head again, mumbling a thanks as her partner headed out of the office.


	26. Frosted Smiles

Remus had decided that he had taken what had to have been his favourite photograph yet. Staring down at the faces of his family, he set down his camera down and thought to himself, how lucky he was.

Teddy had a fistful of chocolate cake, shoving it into his mouth, propped up in his mother's lap, his head slouched over as he tried to hide his cheeky smirk. His hair had turned bright pink to match his cheeks and his mother's own hair, whipping his head away as he tried to grab ahold of his mother's shirt. It seemed like, for the time being, the family had forgotten their worries.

The easiest was for them to confront the problem was ripping the bandage off as quickly and getting over it as soon as possible. Tonks had to be the one to tell her husband to step up. He had slowed down, sleeping more and shutting himself up for longer times until his wife finally dragged him out of it. People seemed to be more shocked about their loss than they anticipated, but the two agreed to grieving in private, rather than around the others.

Teddy's birthday had been a simple affair, but it felt good, getting to laugh and smile normally again, thinking of the joys their son brought them. Tonks had given up on trying to use a napkin with him; Teddy just kept smearing cake and frosting on his face. He picked up a chunk of the cake from the plate, reaching up to his mother with excitement. She went along, opening her mouth to him, and letting the baby feed her cake.

"Thank you, Teddy. Because _I'm_ totally the one who doesn't know how to use silverware." Teddy babbled something to her, putting his fist into his mouth and Tonks made kissy noises behind his ear that made him only happier, smiling proudly. "My Little Man's not going to so little forever, huh? One year old already..." She sighed. While she seemed incredibly joyful for her son, there was a sad undertone in her voice.

Remus watched the pair, taking a bite of his own piece of cake. He had been quite proud with the turn out of it, given the fact he had left the responsibility of frosting the cake up to his wife, who was known for either smothering cakes in frosting or half-assing the project due to flat out _eating_ most of the frosting. In his first careless attempt, he had almost burned the cake by getting it stuck in the pan before it was Tonks who had to swoop in to save the day.

"I'd say you did a pretty good job." Remus pointed on. "The cake's not bad."

"Of course it's not _bad_. _I_ made it." Tonks boasted proudly.

"I don't give you enough credit then, do I?" He teased.

She snorted. "You give me credit even when the damn thing's lopsided, you _suck up_."

"I am not a _suck up."_ He rolled his eyes.

"Are _too_." Tonks shot back, a smug grin on her lips. Teddy slapped his hand on his plate of cake, scooping it up and slathering it into his mouth. His mother wrinkled her nose when he looked up at her. "We're so lucky to have such a happy kid."

"Happy? Yes. _Naughty_..." Remus reached over to wipe cake off his nose, the baby's messy hands clapping together with excitement. "We'll have to keep our eyes on this little troublemaker."

"Wonder who he gets it from, huh?" Tonks said thoughtfully.

" _Oh, y_ _ou_ , of course, Darling." He straightened up. " _I_ was a good child. _You_ were the three year old with purple hair."

"I was _no-"_

"And don't you deny it because your Mum already showed me the pictures." He smirked. " _All of them."_

Tobks's face turned sour. "Even the ones from my second year with the-"

"...even the ones from second year when you had lime green bangs in the middle of your forehead."

Tonks winced, groaning. "That _bitch_... twelve was a hard year for me, you got it?"

Remus smiled shyly, touching her knee. "You're just as cute as you were then.

"Oh please, you wouldn't even give me a second glance if you saw me with... with neon green, lemon yellow, _eye-bleeding orange..._ " She stared down at her lap, gently patting her son's stomach her other hand running her fingers through her hair. "Maybe Teddy here'll learn from his Mum and know better than to have bad hairstyles."

"Hon, it was the eighties, cut yourself some slack. _Everyone_ had bad hair. You lived and you learned." He snickered. "And your mother and I sure get a kick out of the memories."

Teddy let out a happy squeal, trying to drag the plate of cake into their laps.

"Hey, Troublemaker," Tonks laughed, pushing the plate away, picking up a bite of cake on her spoon, feeding it to Teddy. He ate eagarly, still reaching and trying to grab the plate. "I love you, but calm _down._ I'm _hurrying_."

Remus watched the two, chuckling. He leaned forward, tickling the bottom of the baby's feet, making his hair turn sandy brown, his hands covering his bubbly smile. "He sure does have your smile, though. You're the only person in the world with that laugh." Remus mimicked the baby's smile, cupping his hands in his mouth with raised eyebrows. "Your dimple, too."

"Shut up." Tonks breathed, grinning lopsided with pink cheeks. She buried her nose in the tuffs of the baby's hair, caressing his cheek with her finger. Teddy stuck his hand over his mouth, wrinkling his nose at his father.

"You two are the sweetest things..." Remus murmured. "I don't know where I'd be without you. Probably face down in a ditch somewhere."

"And I'd be alone in some apartment somewhere, drinking away my lonliness, wouldn't I?" Tonks yawned.

He shook his head, chuckling. "You'd be head of the damn auror office with some... _millionaire boyfriend_."

"And instead I got my dream job and a trophy husband and a great kid. What's your point?" Tonks rolled her eyes, looking up at him still with half her grin. "Get over yourself. You two are the best things that ever happened to me."

Remus nodded and swallowed, picking up their plates and disappearing back into the kitchen.


	27. The Worst Moons

Tonks was _far_ from happy. She gave her superiors more than two _weeks_ notice that she need to have _two days off_ , yet they denied her at the last minute, claiming she had a case to work that day. She was understanding, of course, knowing that it wasn't uncommon to be short staffed and that it was her job after all. _However,_ the thirtieth came around, and the mission that was she was _s_ _o_ _urgently needed for_ had somehow _mysteriously_ _disappeared_. Teddy was with his grandmother as he always was and was not only crying his lungs out, but was running a terrible fever, refusing food and sleep.

Tonks hadn't slept in 24 hours. Teddy's crying had kept her up most of the night in an attempt to let Remus get some sleep and get Teddy calm enough to handle his grandmother. At work, Dwight was in nothing short of a bad mood as well, but he wasn't as willing to share his grievances and Tonks had no wish to ask him. On top of all things that could've gone wrong and driven her to the brink of madness, her husband was home alone, preparing to claw his own skin to pieces and it was _her_ fault.

Somehow, in the two's meticulous checking off of their monthly to-do list, they overlooked their shortage of Wolfsbane's potion.

Remus had messed up before. Only once since he began using the Wolfsbane potion. He had put himself in a dangerous situation to begin with, endangering the lives of his students while he was teaching.

Making the potion would take weeks and they had mere hours to spare. Tonks tried to do everything in her power to get her hands on it, going as far as to search Diagon Alley during her lunch break and travel downstairs to both the Beasts and Beings departments in hopes _someone_ might have some. Even a year after the war, stigmas of werewolves remained in the minds of the Ministry and among many of the the witches and wizards of London, leaving her stranded when shopkeepers gave her dirty glares and low-voiced denials, as if she were doing something wrong. St. Mungo's was her last hope, but she knew she was too late. Even if she could get her hands on the potion, it wouldn't have time to settle properly to work.

So it was back to square one then. The wards around the basement would more than likely hold, Teddy would be away at his grandmother's, and Tonks would say and prayer and do what she could to block out the noise.

For ten and a half hours, Tonks knew, Remus would be in his lowest place possible and she could only swear to never let it happen again. Most full moons, she worried about him. She might hear the occasional whine or yelp, but there was something human in it, something sensible and tangible that when she heard his lonely footsteps from the kitchen become padded paws, she had no doubt it was him. She had never had to face him as a full werewolf, only taking care of him after a night with potions. She had no clue how to prepare for it, or if she needed to.

"Hey, Hon." Tonks dropped her bag next to the sofa where her husband was asleep. She knelt down beside him, leaning over and kissing his forehead, brushing his hair out of his face.

He groaned and blinked open his eyes. "Dora..."

"Shh shh shh... I know. Is it your head?" She asked worridly, pressing the back of her hand against his cheek.

He squeezed his eyes shut again, nodding.

"Okay." She nodded, fixing the blanket on him. "I have to go back to work soon. My break's almost over. I'll..." Tonks stopped, watching the harsh lines on his face wince.

"I'm assuming you had no luck?" He asked painfully.

"No luck." She whispered. "I'm going to set out something to help you with the pain. Take it before tonight. I don't know when I'll get back. Please don't... please don't fall asleep here and forget to-"

"The moon's at eight. I'll make sure I'm locked up long before then." He grumbled.

Tonks nodded. "I love you."

"I love you too." Remus buried himself further under the blanket.

"I'll be here tomorrow morning, you hear? Six-thirty. I'll be right at the door." She promised.

"Wait until seven. It'll be safer."

"You'll be in there for almost twelve hours!" Tonks protested.

"It's better this way." Remus snapped. "I can't hurt you if we're careful."

Tonks couldn't-and wouldn't- argue with him. "If I'm not back by eight, I just... wanted you to know that I love you. Teddy and I both do. Don't... don't beat yourself up too hard. _I'm_ supposed to be the one giving you a hard time." She smiled weakly.

He chuckled, closing his eyes. His hand reached out to her, tucking her now dark brown hair behind her ear. "I'll see you when you get back. Stay at work if you can. I don't want you to have to stay around tonight if you have to."

"Be safe, love." Tonks kissed him one more time, standing up to leave for work.

She was restless for the rest of the day. Her leg furiously bounced under her desk as she went through all of her letters and forms. By seven, most if the aurors had cleared out to go home. Only a few lights remained on in the office, the few fake windows fading into night.

"'ere," Dwight walked in from his expedition to the break room, dropping a paper box and a fork on Tonks's desk. "Eat. I can hear yer stomach from my desk."

"Dwight-" Tonks began to protest.

"Did ya hear me?" He growled.

"Are you... are you alright over there?" She asked, slowly unfolding the takeout. "How long are you staying?"

He shrugged, shaking his head. "I dunno. Why?"

"I was going to try and make it home before eight, but it wasn't going to happen." She took a deep breath. Tonks flicked her wrist up to check her watch, a knot forming in her stomach. "You should go on ahead."

"Don' tell me ya plan on stayin' here all night, do ya?" He gave her a disappointed stare.

"Maybe." Tonks sighed. "I don't know yet."

Dwight nodded. "I always got an extra bed, ya know."

"Thank you," She said sharply. "but I don't think I need to go anywhere tonight."

 _Remus's face was fear strucken, slumped over to the side on the sofa. His eyebrows were knitted together, his hands clinging to the side of his neck. Bright red blood poured out from the long claw-like slashes and onto his clothes. His breathing was strained and panicked, his face flushing of colour._

 _"Remus..." Tonks gasped, rushing over to him. Her hands hovered over him in a distraught manner without purpose. "What happened to you?"_

 _Remus's fist grabbed ahold of her shirt, clinging to it desperately, his bruised red eyes tearing up painfully, his jaw hanging open. "Dora..."_

 _Tonks hugged her husband, gasping for air. She hurriedly reached for the blanket beside him on the sofa, pressing it against the wound. Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest, desperately searching for the first aid kit. A deep, dry cough came up from Remus's throat. "Remus, Remus, stay with me please..." Tonks begged, running into the kitchen. "Please... please, stay with me..."_

 _He coughed again, wheezing and gulping for air. "D..." Remus coughed hard again, clinging to his throat. "Help me..."_

 _Where were the bandages? Where was the pain medicine? Tonks's hands were shaking, her eyes going blurry. What was she supposed to do to fix him? Remus's heavy breathing quietly disappeared behind into nothingness, a loud bang filling Tonks's head._

"What the fu-" Tonks jolted up from her seat. A piece of parchment that had supplemented as a pillow for the night was stuck to the side of her face.

"Mornin', Sunshine." Dwight smiled, standing over her. "I bet a bed sounds pretty nice, huh?"

Tonks cut her eyes at him momentarily, blinking them shut. "Wotcher, Dwight."


	28. The Newest Lupin

Remus sipped quietly on his coffee, staring over the brim of the mug at his wife, his eyebrows raised. His fingers were scabbed and bruised, wrapped in layers of bandages. Tonks's fingernails drummed on the table anxiously, not annoyed, but preoccupied in thought. Remus's gauzy hand reached over to silence his wife's tapping. She looked up at her husband, poking her tongue out at him to make him nearly cough on his coffee.

Troublemaker Teddy was still sick, usually playing with his toys in the living room, but instead was fast asleep and slumped over on a pillow on the living room floor. Remus had attempted to lift the child onto the couch, but the small child cried and fought him to remain on the floor, which his father did not argue. The two were thankful to have time alone together, though both still worried over their son, checking on him every now and again.

"Remus, I need to propose something to you and it's important." Tonks announced proudly.

"Uh oh." He set his mug down, her fingers tightening around his.

Tonks bit her lip nervously, staring down at the table. "I know this may seem... sudden... but I wondered your thoughts on... perhaps..." She stopped short in thought.

"Thought perhaps what?" He inquired. There was a familiar glint in her eye, a sneaky smile on her lips. This was an almost _too_ familiar of a smile. "Dora, are you alright?"

"Mmhmm." Tonks grinned, propping her head on her head. "I'm fine."

He watched her expression carefully, shaking his head. "You are being... weird."

"Am I?"

His eyebrows were knit together, his other finger circling the rim of the mug. "Yes..." He sighed.

"Well, I wanted to ask you about something and I... I want you to be honest." She asked, her smile fading slightly, her voice becoming more serious. "I don't want you to think I'm trying to replace the baby we lost."

His heart skipped a beat, looking up at his wife with wide eyes. "Dora... are you... are you _pregnant?_ How's that _possible?_ We haven't even- Dora, what are you sayi-"

Tonks chuckled, squeezing his hand again before letting go and reached for the newspaper, folding it over and smoothing it out. "I'm not having a baby _or_ an affair, just so we're clear."

Remus stared in disbelief and confusion. "Then what is it?" She turned the paper around, sliding it over to him, pointing at a particular article.

He scanned over the paper quickly, sighing, and pushing it back. "No."

"Oh, c'mon!" She whined, pushing the paper back to him. "Just _conside_ _r-"_

"I said no." He said in a firmer voice. "We are _not-"_

"Why not? What's gotten into you?"

"Do you even _hear_ yourself? Do you hear _me?"_ He demanded. "That's not right. That's like trying to replace Teddy, and we can't-"

"I _am_ listening." She frowned. "I don't understand. We aren't replacing anything, are we? Why won't you consider it? This could be good for us."

She had won the argument long before it became a drawn out discussion and all he could do was sit, a frustrated expression on his face, knowing he wanted to give in to her plan. And she knew that if he had really wanted to fight back and win, he could have.

So there they were, Tonks cradling Teddy against her chest and Remus with his arms folded over his own, standing on the steps of a stanger's porch.

"This is stupid... you have no idea what you're getting us into." Remus huffed, turning to his wife. Tonks simply had a proud smirk on her face. An old woman with short white curls and large orange earrings came to the door. She was in muggle clothes, an orange shirt to match her jewelry. She had kind, grandmotherly eyes, with wrinkles and smile lines.

"Can I help you all?" She asked hesitantly.

"We're here for your ad in the Prophet." Remus said in a low voice.

"Oh! Come on in, come on in!" The witch's face lit up, walking them inside. The house was warm and smelled like the cinnamon candles she had sitting on the window sills. An orange kneazle came up to greet them, meowing and walking between their legs. "Hamlet, get off of their feet and let them in. I'm sorry..."

"That's no problem." Tonks smiled. Teddy was being bashful, his fave pressed against his mother's chest, pouting and turning his attention away from the woman. They exchanged names and the old witch lead them to her study, which looked like any old librarian's discarded hideway except for the large cardboard box looming in the corner.

Following them, was a grey and white housecat, skittishly keeping watch from the other sides of the room. Inside the cardboard box were three kittens, a ginger, a calico with tortoise shell print, and a grey one, all awake and meowing at their guests. They all appeared to look like regular kittens, except for their fluffy lion tails and big, fluffy ears. "They're about four months old." The witch smiled. "And they don't have names yet."

Tonks looked over at her husband. "What do you think?"

"Here, I'll let them out for you." The woman iffered, picking up two if the kittens.

"No, no, no, it's fine-"

His wife was already sitting in the floor with her legs crossed, Teddy sitting on her knee. The woman happily sat the kittens down in front of them.

"Be gentle with the baby, Teddy." His mother instructed, showing him to hold his hand out to the cat The tortoise kitten walked towards the two, hesitantly sniffing at their fingers, though bored and mildly disinterested. The ginger kitten favoured Remus, purring and nuzzling its head on his shins. The grey kitten, however, was half-asleep, jolted awake to greet the company. He meowed to the best of his power, stretching out his paws and yawning.

Teddy giggled at the yawning cat, clapping his hands together. The cat became excited at his audience, sniffing out the small human with its funny knitted hat. It had big blue eyes, one encompassed in a large black spot that covered half its face. The kitten didn't mind climbing into its new friend's lap as he tried to pet its head, wanting to grab ahold of his fur.

Tonks turned to look at her husband, who's annoyed look had disappeared, and they gave knowing looks to one another.


	29. I Love You

Remus had been hesitant about getting Patches, as he had been named, but his suppressed opposition to getting it had quickly faded after bringing the kitten home. Patches was curled up in a ball on his chest, unfazed by his owner's snoring, content and flicking the end of his tail.

Tonks stirred in her sleep, flailing onto her side to face him. The cat stood up, arching his back and meowing a yawn, his claws extending into Remus's shirt. The sleepy man yawned, swatting at the fuzzy creature in a confused manner.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He stretched out his arms, trying to pet Patches as he scurried away. "No, I said I was _sorry._ Patches, no, please don't- Dora, you scared the cat."

"Hmmm..." She buried her face in her pillow. "I thought we said no cats on the bed."

"We did." Remus confirmed, laying back with his eyes closed.

"Then _why_ was the cat on the bed?" Tonks asked in a muffled voice.

"He wasn't on the _bed_ , he was laying on _me."_

"Of course he was." She said dryly, uncovering her face. "I'm on call, but we still have the day to do things."

Remus yawned again, pulling the blanket over his shoulders. "Like what?"

"We should take Teddy out for the day. It's warmed up; he'd probably like to get out for a bit." She suggested.

"That sounds nice." He snuggled up under the sheets.

"We have to get up first." Tonks pointed out.

"Mmhmm." He was nestled back up in the warm comforter, hiding his face in the blankets.

 _"Remus."_

"Mmhmm?"

"We have to get _up."_ She whined, playfully shoving him. "Let's _go_ and _do._ Come _on."_

"But I don't _want to get up-"_

Tonks shook her head, finally dragging her husband out of bed. It wasn't a long walk to the park. The family found a shady spot and sat down under a large maple tree. She fussed over the child, who had to wear a cloth hat to cover up his ever-changing (currently bright purple like hers) hair, worried he'd either be seen or get too hot. Not many people were out on such a nice summer day, but those few who were would wave and smile at Teddy, who was please to have all of the attention and would try and give them clenched-fist waves back.

"Here, come on, you can do it!" Tonks encouraged, lifting the toddler back onto his feet. He was still wobbly, but he was confident in himself-or at least determined enough to become independent from his parents' grasp. He liked stomping and walking on the grass, tipping over with a confused, but cushioned landing beside his loyal friend, Howard the Elephant.

"Oh no!" His mother said dramatically, an exaggerated surprised look on her face. The toddler was amused with his audience, but also distracted by all of the many things around him that he could look at.

"He sure does have a handle on walking, doesn't he? I'd bet he's explored all of the lower pantries, imagine him in a year from now." Remus sighed, holding the baby up by his hands.

"Imagine him a little older... you know, four or five, with the... _you know..._ " She gestured her hands. "The _accidental_... you get my point, alright."

Remus nervously laughed. "What a perfect little mess, huh? Might put us to shame yet."

"He'll sure be a legend someday." Tonks said in a low voice. "Be a true purple-haired Marauder; 'Puff of course."

"Oh, shush, you're planting ideas in his head." He smirked at his wife. "Who's to say he won't be in Gryffindor?"

"I, for one, who is fairly certain _I_ know what a Hufflepuff is." She shot back with an evil grin. "Besides, mothers know best, don't they?"

"I'll have to get back to you on that one." Remus gently tugged on the toddler's arms, Teddy twisting as if he was dancing to a music only he could hear. "Don't you think he should be talking? I mean, he's still young, but I'm worried he might be a bit slow at it."

"He's not _that_ far behind. He just can't quite put his words together." She said, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder, nuzzling her nose into his collarbone. "Can you say 'Mummy', Teddy?"

"Mmma." Teddy stammered, looking to them for approval, his fingers squeezing on his beloved toy.

Tonks smiled. "You almost had it! 'Mummy'!"

"Mmmeee."

"Here, can you say 'Daddy'?" Remus interjected.

"Dad-" He shuffled his weight, sniffing his nose. "Dad-daddaa."

"Very good!" He beamed proudly, picking up the toddler and setting him on his knee, kissing his forehead "Very good, Teddy!"

"Heh!" The child giggled, clapping his hands together before trying go put the elephant's ear in his mouth.

"What about 'Teddy'? Can you say Teddy?" His mother asked in giddy excitement.

"Teeyyeey!" He said, smiling and tilting his head. "Teee..."

She mimicked him, adjusting the hat that was beginning to slide off his head. "Not _quite._ _Teddy."_

"Eeyyy..." He gurgled.

"Ted-dy." She enunciated.

"Tad-yee." He repeated.

The two parents looked at each other in pride, praising the child's accomplishment. She swayed, gently nudging him with her shoulder. He kissed Teddy's head, turning to his wife and taking her hand before setting it on his other knee, his thumb grazing the back of her hand.

"Good job, Little Man!" He said, shaking his hand with his finger. "You're catching on!"

"I _almost_ got him to say this the other day." She cleared her throat, straightening up. "Teddy, can you say ' _I love you_ '? Hang on, he might not do it..."

"Ah... lubbdo." Teddy said confidently, leaning up against his father's side.

 _"I love you."_ Tonks cooed softly.

"Ad ub yoo!" He said louder.

" _We l_ _ove you,_ too, Teddy." Remus assured. "We love you too."


	30. Losing Battles

"Go to hell." The woman in the interrogation room chair spat. Her skin looked sickly yellow, her teeth crooked with several missing, her hair knotted and messy. Her robes were dull red and worn in several places and she was acting strange from the moment she was taken in.

Tonks's hair had turned red and was just now becoming more of a dark ginger colour. "Look," She growled, getting closer to the woman's face. "I don't know who you paid off or who you talked to, but _cut this shit."_

Dwight walked over to her, grabbing his partner by the arm and pulling her away from the suspect. "Keep it _together."_ He glared at her.

"I didn't do nothin' wrong!" The woman in question shot back, pressing her finger against her chest. " _My_ tests were negative and they found the-the _potions! I_ didn't take them!

"Then who did you accompany? There's no way you can't-" Tonks turned frantically to her partner. _"You can't prove that she's innocent. She's clearly sick and her son-"_

 _"Tonks..."_ He warned her firmly. _"Behave."_

Tonks had to step back to take a deep breath, whispering harshly to Dwight. "She's clearly _ill_ and _intoxicated!_ She's _abusing_ her son! We _have_ to arrest her!"

"It's circumstancial, ain't it?" He stated. "I know yer upset, but we can' jus'-"

"The kid." She piped up. "We interview the kid then. He _has_ to confess for her, right?"

She seemed too hopeful. What seemed so obvious was technically impossible to prove. A witch arrested under probable cause when large amounts of a highly potent potion went missing, her young son brought in because she claimed there was no one else to take care of him.

The woman was smug as the two aurors trailed out in defeat. They had had such _perfect_ evidence, but nothing added up. No one was going to Azkaban unless the son could prove otherwise. Tonks was shaking, wrapping her jacket tighter around her. The rolled up sheets of parchment from the woman's testament twisted nervously in her hands. Something was so _wrong_ about the whole thing, but until she could _prove_ the circumstantial evidence to be true, there was _nothing_ to protect the kid. Something was _wrong_ and Tonks felt sick just wondering what.

"Do ya 'ave 'em?" Dwight asked cautiously.

"Yes." She choked, unfolding the papers and handing them over.

He took them sadly. "An' we doin' it together, righ'?"

"Yes." Tonks nodded, squeezing her fingers into fists.

He stared at her seriously, his eyebrows knitting together. "You sure ya ain't nervous?"

"Yeah." She gulped, nodding again.

His head tilted, looking up at her with a concerned look. "Pinks, if you star' cryin'..." He warned her.

"I won't." She said firmly. "I won't. I'll be serious if you will." He nodded in agreement, walking into the interrogation room, clearing his throat loudly. The two filed into the room cautiously.

There was a small boy with messy blonde hair sitting on a chair, swinging his legs back and forth. He looked as if he hadn't been bathed in many days, his hair matted and streaked with dirt. He wasn't wearing pants, but had on an oversized dirty grey shirt over his underwear. He look to be just six years old with sad brown eyes and a runny nose.

Tonks smiled weakly, walking over to the child and kneeling down in front of him. "Wotcher, hon." She said quietly. "How are you feeling?"

The little boy stared down at her and she patted his leg.

"Do you have a name?" She asked. The boy stared at her with a tilted head. "Are you hungry?"

The boy shook his head, smiling with his lips spread over his teeth, pressing out his dimples.

"We got 'em some food." Dwight threw in.

"Okay," Tonks smiled. "That's good. So are you holding up alright?"

The boy stared at her, shrugging his shoulders. The woman frowned, looking over him.

"Poor thing... You do know how to talk, don't you?" She mumbled, patting his leg again. His skin felt cold and he simply nodded. "Okay, buddy. Let's take a look at your papers, shall we?"

Tonks pulled an empty chair over to his own and Dwight unfolded the roll of parchment out onto the table. The little boy eagerly leaned over the table for a better view.

"So, Boyo, it seems... yer ma and pa were _so nice_ , weren' they? Enough to lan' 'em several charges Dwight said. His question was less sincere and more of a smug statement, but he was still hesitant in his plain-as-day insult.

The boy winced, his face twisting in fear.

"Hey, it's okay... You're okay... You can talk to us." Tonks said. "You're safe here with us."

The boy scooted away from her on the chair, crossing his arms.

"Did they ever try to hurt you?" She wondered.

He furiously shook his head and wiggled away from her.

"Okay, okay," Tonks slid back in her chair, pushing herself away from the child. She glanced over at her partner knowingly, pursing her lips. "Do you like your parents?"

The boy's messy hair nodded, his chin turned up to her. His fingers gripped onto the edge of the chair, his legs still swinging back and forth. He wouldn't quite look at her.

"Do they... do they make you afraid sometimes?" She asked.

He was hesitant, but he shook his head again.

"Do they make sure you eat when you're hungry or... give you baths when you need?"

He frantically nodded.

The two officers sighed.

"Do they spend time with you? Maybe play with you or read to you before you go to bed?"

His shoulders shrugged this time, but the boy gave a guilty look that quickly became fear. He looked between the aurors for another question.

"Did they ever act... weird around you? Did they ever act like they were... taking or using some kind of potions... drugs? Medicines?" Tonks asked desperately.

The boy sunk into his chair, furiously shaking his head. The child that came in hungry, half dressed, and filthy so clearly had his strings being pulled on by one of his parents. The problem was there was no evidence. There was nothing to prove the family guilty.

"At all?" She asked again, leaning over her chair. "Please, we need you to be honest with us. As honest as possible. We won't hurt y-"

"No." His mousey voice chipped up.

The woman sighed, rubbing her closed eyes, sitting back in her chair. "Okay." The child looked at her curiously and she gave him a small smile. "Okay."


	31. Up and Coming

With school out for the last of the children, the Burrow was once again filled to the brim with excitement and life.

Hermione had returned from school exhausted, flinging herself straight into an internship at the Ministry, and straight into sleepy trance in the armchair with an open book in her lap. There was a pleasant atmosphere that filled the kitchen and living room. Percy was around and was more talkative than ever, from getting into heated discussions with Hermione to even chattering with Ron and Harry about Quidditch, but for now spent part of his time with his father in the his shed. George was breaking out of his shell more, becoming more and more confident in himself, though he still would rely on staying near one of his other brothers. He was out with his friends Jordan Lee and Angelina Johnson, who were helping to keep the shop up and running.

Ginny and Harry were sitting together on one of the couches with Ron. As of recent, a small diamond ring flickered on Ginny's left ring finger. Remus had his arm wrapped around his wife's shoulder. Their son had been whisked away to the kitchen with Molly and Fleur, who were busy finishing making dinner.

"So do you have a date set yet?" Tonks asked, intertwining her fingers with her husband's, crossing over her legs.

Ginny scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You think Mum'd let us get away with _not_ having one?" She said in a low voice. "We're shooting for early December. What? The... ninth or something?"

"Now, Ginny," Bill said in a firm voice. "You better not let Mum catch you saying things like that or you'll never live it down."

"Oh shut it." She snapped back. "Anyways, 'Mione and Luna already agreed to being bridesmaids. I dunno, I thought you and Fleur would want to be, too. It'll be even that way, with Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus as the groomsmen."

"Are you sure?" Tonks asked wearily. "I'd be honoured, don't get me wrong. But c'mon, Red, you're my little sister, but I'm not sure I can accept that. You really want _me_ up there with you? Surely you've got some better friends than _me."_

Ginny shook her head. "I _want_ you up there, Tonks. Really, we'd love to have Teddy in the wedding, too."

"And Professor Lupin, too." Harry chimed in.

"Oh, please, you won't want _me_ there." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Well who else am I supposed to dance with when he dances with Mum?" Ginny asked.

"Well... we'd love to be there. Whatever we can do." Remus nodded.

Tonks looked over at her husband curiously. "You know, our anniversary is coming up, isn't it? Two years already..."

"I don't know where the time went." He replied. "Next year'll be weird for us, won't it? With me turning forty. I hadn't paid it any attention."

She playfully nudged him, smiling. " _That's_ an accomplishment. How many other forty year olds can say they married a twenty-something?"

"I'm not exactly sure that's what I'd call it." Remus replied hesitantly. "Especially with you out working."

"Shush." Tonks said, staring up at him and wrinkling her nose.

"Now that the war's over," The younger girl cut in. "have you two thought about having a real wedding?"

"We have before but," Tonks sighed in content. "I think we're happy with what we had. I wouldn't have traded it for anything, I don't think."

"I don't think I want a big wedding." Harry threw in. "Not sure Mrs. Weasley will let us get away with it though."

"Oh I want a _huge_ wedding." Ginny said sarcastically. "Just absolutely _spectacular. Magnificent._ Talk of the _century._ It'll be in the Prophet and _everything."_

"Don't think you want Mum hearing _that_ either." George interrupted.

Remus laughed quietly. "I'd be a little bit disappointed if your wedding was so forgettable it was _talk of the century._ "

"That's clever. Did you come up with that one all on your own?" His wife looked at him with a raised brow.

"Fine." He shifted, turning his nose up from her and pursing his lips. "If you don't like my stupid jokes, I guess I'll just keep them for someone _else_ who actually _appreciates_ them."

Tonks held back a laugh. " _Fine._ You can _stay."_

" _I_ appreciate your stupid jokes, Lupin." Bill declared.

"See? _Thank you._ " Remus cracked a smile, gesturing to Bill.

Tonks sighed. "You two are _terrible."_

"You're jealous because he's more fun than you." Remus said smugly.

There was a thud and the sudden wail of a small child from the kitchen. Molly and Fleur both let out audible gasps, their private chattering seizing.

"Shit, that one's mine." Tonks jumped up from her spot. "Is he okay?"

Fleur was kneeling down, fussing over Teddy, who was sobbing and clutching his bumped forehead from the table.

"Is he bleeding?" Remus called from the sofa, turning around to gave a better view.

"No, I do not sink zo." Fleur said, kissing the toddler's forehead. "Juzt a bruize."

"Then he'll be fine." He relaxed back into his seat.

"Thanks a lot for the help." His wife snarked, looking over Teddy's head. "Oh, it's okay, Little Man." She assured in a soft babyish voice.

"He's a boy. He'll be fine in a few minutes." Bill replied nonchalantly. The little boy sniffled, staring up at his mother, his lip quivering, his hand on his head. "He needs to walk into a few tables and then he'll learn not to."

Tonks kissed his forehead. "Okay. It's all better, see? I made it better."

The boy pouted, reaching up to his mother. She groaned dramatically, scooping him up in her arms. Teddy giggled and stretched out. They walked back to the sofa, flopping over onto Remus's lap. The child laughed, burying his face in her shoulder.

"See?" Remus smiled. "All better."

 **AN: Hello, readers! Feel free to leave reviews! The last couple of chapters were slow and it might be slow for a bit, but I just need some filler for upcoming chapters which _will_ have some better content. **


	32. The First Grandchild

All eyes were on Bill and Fleur. Coming that April, they announced what would be the very first Weasley grandchild. Tonks had almost dropped Teddy, quickly passing him over to her husband in suprise. She became light headed and slighty dizzy, though thankfully no one commented on how she looked.

"What's wrong?" Remus asked quietly, taking Teddy into his arms.

"Nothing!" Tonks tried to smile. "Just... _excited_ is all!"

Fleur turned to look over her shoulder, greeted by her friend. "Tonkz! Hey!"

"Hey, I just need to..." Tonks pointed her finger towards the back door. "I'll be right back in a second-"

"Iz... Every-sing alright?" Fleur asked hesitantly. "You do not look well."

"Oh, don't worry about me, hon." She assured. "I'm _-no_ , I'm so happy for you! Both of you! You're going to have a _baby!_ That's _really_ wonderful! I'm just-" Tonks stumbled away from the congregated party in the kitchen and to the back porch, sitting down on the steps. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

She didn't quite know what she was feeling. Disappointment? Anger? Resentment? Certainly not that. No, she was proud for her friends! Ginny and Harry were getting married in just two short months, Fleur and Bill were having a baby in the spring, and now they were just waiting for Ron to pop the question to Hermione. Even Percy and had talked about reconnecting with his sweetheart, Penelope Clearwater, and George, who hadn't quite found love, had found keen companionship in his friends from school. Tonks didn't dare say she was envious of the attention; she didn't feel like she was

"Hey." A voice from behind said quietly, walking out onto the porch, closing the screen door behind him. "Are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Tonks didn't turn around, her eyes fixated on the ground.

"You... sort of rushed out." Bill said pointedly. "Are you angry?"

"What? No, no, no, I'm not angry." She replied lightly. "I'm not angry."

"Then what's wrong?" He sighed, sitting down beside her on the step.

"Nothing's wrong." She turned her head to look at her friend, trying to give him a smile.

"Then why are you sitting outside in the dark, alone, after rushing out of the room?" Bill asked, cornering her.

Tonks gave in with a sigh. "I'm _jealous."_

Bill nodded. "I sort of expected you would be."

Tonks stared down at her lap. "I'm sorry. You should go on, I'll be in in a-"

"I want to talk." He declared. "I don't know if I'm just further ripping open a wound for you-I don't want to pry-but... what's going on?"

"It's not that big of a deal, really. It just all came back up to light all of a sudden." She shrugged, her shoulders slumping over as she leaned forward onto her knees.

He rubbed circles on the small of her back. "I really am sorry about what happened to you and Remus. I can't imagine how... unsettling this must be for the two of you."

She shrugged again, taking a long deep breath. "It happened. I'll get over it. Tell Fleur that I'll be here for her, even if... I just have to step back and breathe for a minute."

Bill sat quiet for a moment. "Fleur wants you and Rem to be godparents, I don't know if that means anything to you or not."

"What, wait, _me? Us?_ You're joking, aren't you?" Tonks asked in bewilderment. "I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but don't you have _other friends?"_

"Don't _you?"_ Bill teased. "She said you and Remus would be perfect for it. She keeps going on and on about how she's excited for Teddy to have a friend."

"Yeah, he'll love that." Tonks nodded in agreement.

He chuckled for a moment, before returning to solace. "You would've... you would've just had yours, wouldn't you have?"

She was quiet at first. "Yeah."

"You were pretty far along, weren't you? Did you decide to name them?"

"We... _talked_ about naming it if it was a girl, but we didn't have a boy name when it..." Her voice trailed off in strain. "So I guess it was a girl then."

"What was it? If you don't mind me-"

"Edalynn." Tonks interrupted firmly.

"Edalynn." He repeated breathlessly.

"Edalynn Hope." Tonks began to choke up. "Remus's mum was named Hope before she passed. It sort of went along with Edward Remus."

"Have you two talked about having other children since? Not that I'm trying to make light of this or anything..." Bill inquired.

Tonks scoffed. "Remus wouldn't consider it, even if we talked about it."

"Have you tried bringing it up?"

"He still thinks it's _his_ fault the baby died, and I _know_ he freaks out every month that something _might_ _still_ happen to Teddym. You know, as I'm talking, I realize that is actually a strange conversation and you really should go enjoy all the excitement. I need to stop making everything about myself."

"Tonks-"

"I'm rambling like a maniac and sabatoaging your evening, don't look at me all sorry and-"

 _"Tonks-"_

"This is _your_ night-"

 _"Tonks."_ Bill said firmly. "It's okay. You're my friend. We're supposed to talk through these things."

Tonks turned away from him, nodding her heaed. She was quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. For being a pity-party _and_ making a show out of myself. You go on and I-"

"You're fine." He said quickly. "It wasn't yours-or Remus's- fault that it happened. I can't imagine the guilt he must be feeling or what you're going through. You're didn't make a show of yourself either. You just had a moment... Come on inside, will you?"

Tonks nodded. "Tell Fleur and Remus I'll be inside in just a minute. I'm just not feeling well."

He patted her shoulder. "I will, if you promise not to stay out here forever."

"Promise." Tonks called after him


	33. Dirty Words

Tonks smiled mischievously, propping her elbows up on the counter, resting her chin in her hands. Remus held onto the stack of clean dishes on the counter in front of him and smiled down at his wife, reaching out and squishing her cheeks with his hand.

"You're cute, but you need to get dressed for the night shift." He insisted, kissing her before letting go. "I bet you're glad you got to sleep all day, aren't you?

"Mmhmm..." She chuckled, grabbing ahold of his sleeve and rolling it back up to his elbow.

"Not going to be so glad when you get back at six in the morning, huh?" He tilted his head.

"MmmMmm." She shook her head with a smile.

"Can you at least go put some pants on for dinner?" Remus asked with a sigh.

"I'm..." Tonks turned sideways, propping her foot up against the side of the cabinet, hiking up her long black Weird Sisters t-shirt to her her hip.

"Merlin's _beard_ , Dora-" Remus chuckled, darting his eyes away.

"No, look!" She exclaimed, showing off her hidden shorts. "I _am_ wearing pants!"

"Do you do this often?" He teased, continuing to put away the clean dishes.

"What?" She smirked, wobbling on her other foot. "Do you mind?"

He grabbed a dishrag from the handle of the oven, swatting at her hip. She laughed and yanked her shirt down over her legs, leaning forward on the counter. "Could you at least help me put some of the dishes away before you go?" Remus asked and handed her a stack of bowls from the drying rack.

Tonks bounced on her toes and took them across the kitchen to the cabinet. "I haven't heard from Troublemaker in a bit." She declared, standing on her toes and beginning to take out a stack of plates to make room. "Think he's out of it already?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. All that climbing on things must've tired him out. They go on the next shelf..." Remus pointed out, peeking around the corner into the living room. "Troublemaker seems preoccupied with what looks like your house key. Not sure how he got his hands on that."

Tonks sighed, putting the plates back. "I can't reach the next shelf, _Mr._ _Longarms_. What am I supposed to do if I need a bowl anytime soon?"

"You can too reach." Remus shot back. "You have a wand. Use it."

She glanced over her shoulder to her wand that was resting next to the sink. "Nevermind. It's all the way over there."

"Why aren't you carrying your wand?" He asked hesitantly.

"What? Do _you_ sleep with yours in your pocket?" Tonks threw back.

"I don't sleep with my wand." He rolled his eyes. "I just think it would be safer if we both had ours on us, even when we're at home."

"Paranoid much?"

"I'm just _saying-"_

"What?" Her eyebrow was raised. "You don't think someone's going to break in or something, do you?"

"No, I'm just wondering why you don't have it when you're doing chores and such." He said quickly.

"Trust me if death eaters burst in to kill us in the middle of dinner while I'm in my , we'll _all_ have hit a new low, wouldn't we have?" Tonks chuckled, looking up to the next shelf. She stretched out her hands to pick up the dishes in front of the stack of bowls, standing on her toes and straining to keep her hands steady.

In a split second, a white ceramic dish slid down beside her and there was a loud crash of glass hitting tile in the kitchen. Tonks gasped, quickly patting her hands on her sides for her wand, her husband briefly giving her a smug look. She found herself cornered by the counter and the glass shards, barefoot and afraid to step through the rubble.

"Are you okay?" Remus asked, stepping carefully around the pieces.

"Oh shit!" A small voice exclaimed.

"Teddy, no! Honey, get back... Is he alright?" Tonks asked. His parents flinched, quickly turning to each other with wide eyes.

The child looked up at his parents, smiling curiously, his fingers gripping onto his stuffed animal. _"Oh shit!"_ He exclaimed again.

 _"Teddy..."_ His father warned, picking him up. "We don't say that word." Teddy giggled at his father, trying to put his fist into his mouth. " _No_. That's a bad word."

Tonks tried to keep from laughing, finally mustering up her courage to get to her wand. Flicking it, the bowl repaired itself, hoping back up onto the counter.

"Don't _encourage_ him. That's not a nice word! He can't go around cursing like that!"

"I know it's not, but..." She laughed. "You were _so worried_ about him not talking enough."

"This _isn't_ what I meant." Remus scolded.

"What is it that he's supposed to be at? Fifteen words? 'Mummy', 'Daddy', and ' _oh shit_ '. Four down, eleven to go..."

"You are not _helping_ , Dora." He huffed in frustration.

"I _know,_ but I can't help but wonder _who_ he got it from. _You?_ _Me? Mum?_ _Harry and Ginny?_ " She asked inquisitively, smiling. "I mean, it would probably be more _colourful,_ were it me and Mum's a proper lady; she'd prefer a good 'damn' or 'bitch', wouldn't she?"

"Dora, are you not upset by this? He hardly even cares!" Teddy did _not_ care, and was smiling without a care in the world.

"That is a _bad_ word." His mother said in a mean voice. "Do you hear me? _Don't_ say that word anymore."

Teddy flinched, frowning at her in shame. Remus nodded in approval at his wife.

"See? Just need an Angry Mum voice, not an Exasperated Dad voice." She nodded, poking Teddy in the belly, causing him to pout. "No more cussing, Little Man. Only _I'm_ allowed to do that."


	34. Deep, Dark Secrets

**AN: I'm really excited right now! This story's hit almost 11,000 views overall, 50 comments, and now over 20 favourites! Thank you guys so much for contributing to this story. I really don't think I would've gotten as far as I have without the motivation.**

 **I'm at a bit of a crossroads at the moment. I'm not sure if I want to continue more with OCs or not, because I know I have two or three involved. I don't want to water down the writing with them, but I like having the broader range of characters.**

 **As for now, expect the usual fluff/angst dynamic. I'll be trying to find something new to add and incorporate with the piece**

The Leaky Cauldron was fairly empty, though not surprising for a Monday night. Two aurors sat hunched at a table together, both sipping on firewhiskey, though they were mostly quiet. The noise from the pub drowned them out and they seemed to fit in well with the usual clientele of poor drunks, travellers, and the general witches and wizards just trying to keep a low profile. Both sported fairly dirty faces and disheveled robes. They had a dirtier job than usual, not managing ill-intended magicfolk, but assisting in a rather nasty accident involving the Beast Department and an occupied animal cage of unspeakable size to have been vicariously left unlocked.

"What's this all abou'?" Dwight asked after a while. He had a myriad of small gashes that resembled bite marks up and down his arm and still had a bit of dried blood on the end of his nose.

"What? The drink?" Tonks asked. Her hair had been knotted and ruffled into many different directions, resting in a duller version of her favourite pink. "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

"Yeah. What's that all about?"

She shrugged. "I dunno. Thought we just... you know, should get out more."

"Yer me colleague, not my flatmate."

"You've gotten quiet lately. I thought I ought to check up on you."

"I jus' got some stuff I'm thinkin' about." He confessed, taking a drink.

She nodded. "Can I help you think it through?"

He shook his head. "Nah."

She looked defeated. There was a pause. "You seem like a fun person to get drunk with, like you know some good stories."

He chuckled, reluctant to respond. "Nah, more like a bit o' a bleedin' alcoholic, but I digress."

"Oh... well maybe drinks weren't the answer after all." She said in a half-joking voice, unsure of the real severity in his statement.

He shook his head, grinning in reassurance. "Now don' you worry yer pretty face o'er it. Jus' be ready fer when I star' tha whol' 'tragic backstory' thing once I go on a rampant."

"Hey, don't worry about it, you hear? I'd rather you trust me than not. I'm your friend." Tonks tried to say lightly. "Tell you what. I'll make you deal. For every thing you 'fess up on, being serious now, I'll do the same. Come on, I know you've got something on your mind. Spit it out."

Dwight stared at her in amusement, sighing and chuckling to himself. "It's my wife." He said in a low voice, leaning forward over the table. He sounded as if he was telling her an idea or plan he had at work: serious, but still shining in a negative light. "She... well, she was tha love o' my life. See, tha's where tha problem lies. She's a bit o' a, uh... 'free spirit' if ya catch my drift. She left me for a good... four years, I think? Came back recently and... I dunno. I though' she was the worst thing ta ever happen ta me yet and... I still love 'er."

Tonks leaned forward in her chair. "Yeah?"

He shrugged. "Turns out, she's found 'erself in a bit o' a mess and needed me to bail 'er out. And just seein' her again is like..." His eyes drifted off to the wall, his lopsided smile returning to his cheeks. "I dunno wha' it's like to be drugged or somethin', but it sure as hell must feel like this."

Tonks listened intently. "I know how you feel, yeah. Not-not completely, but I can see where you're coming from, yeah."

"I swear, I can never catch a break." The auror sighed, taking another drink.

Her fingernails chimed on the bottle in thought. "My first name is Nymphadora." Dwight let out an amused laugh, his eyes still fixated on the wall, shaking his head. "What? It's true!"

"I know it is." He smirked.

"What are you all smug for?" Tonks snickered.

"You though' I didn' know yer bloody name? I _actually_ had no idea?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"You mean you _knew?_ This _whole time?"_ She demanded in a slightly angry tone.

"You really are a Hufflepuff, ain't ya?" Dwight teased and straightened up in his chair from slouching. "Of _course_ I knew ya bloody name the _whole time_. Took ya long enough to catch on didn't it? Yer my _partner._ O' _course_ I gotta know these things in case ya get killed or somethin'!"

Her tongue pressed against the inside of her cheek and she nodded. "Right... right, yeah, I see how it is, _Birdman."_

"Oi! I didn' say ya had a _good_ name, did I?" For a minute, the two laughed in unison, breaking the dead monotony of their dead corner of the room. "Come on, give me a _good secret_."

"A _good secret?_ I dunno, I'm absolutely an open book." Tonks said proudly.

"Anythin'!" He encouraged.

"I... illegally smuggled a dragon once? Got caught back when I was in training." She suggested.

"Nope. Knew tha'."

"I worked for an illegal underground-rebel organization when the government became completely corrupt, even going as far as spying on them during the war?"

"Yeah, _right."_ Her partner let out a laugh. "Good one. Try again."

She huffed, taking swig from her drink. "I... am legitimately afraid spiders."

"Now _tha'._ " Dwight nodded in satisfaction, raising his bottle slightly to her. "I'll drink to _that."_ He declared, shivering for just a second before drinking.


	35. Confrontation

Tonks latched the lock on the door, turning the key to make sure it stayed shut for the night. She was surprised to see a single light on in the living room. Quietly making her way over towards the sofa, she saw that her husband was still wide awake and reading an open book resting in his lap. "Hey, hon." She bounced on her toes over to him, flopping down onto the couch next to Remus. "Teddy already in bed?"

"Yes." He replied curtly, not looking up from his book.

"No problems with him today?" Tonks wondered, trying to start a conversation, amused at his enamoured preoccupation in the book, yet slightly annoyed in his tone.

"No." Remus said.

"Were you up waiting for me?" She pried.

"I couldn't sleep." His fingers turned the page over.

"Oh." She tilted her head, leaning on her arm, watching his expressionless face. "So... is everything okay? Did you have an okay day?"

"Mmhm." His fingers played on the edge page of his book. "There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"I ate earlier...but are you sure everything's okay?"

"Positive." Remus declared.

"You sound like you're lying."

"I don't sound like anything, I think."

"You're lying."

He finally sighed, looking up, but not at her. "Maybe."

She leaned forward onto his shoulder. "What are you reading?"

"It's nothing." His eyes turned back to the pages.

"Dickens?"

"No."

"Now _that's_ the biggest lie you've ever told." She announced, reaching forward to see the front cover. "Oscar Wilde, huh? Changing it up a bit, are we? Taking a step outside of the comfort zone?" She tried to joke, being greeted with no response. "Okay, what is your problem?"

"I said nothing." Remus said calmly.

"And I said you're lying." She threw back defensively.

"I'm tired is all."

"Then go to bed, for crying out loud."

"I've got some things on my mind right now. You go on." He urged.

"Excuse me, but I'm not going to bed until you quit this pissy mood and come with me."

"I'm not in a pissy mood-"

"Then what is this?"

"I _said-"_

"I know what you said, but that doesn't make it _true._ I want the _truth."_ Tonks argued.

He huffed, slamming the book close. The cat on the table beside him jumped in alarm, arching his back to stretch out before running away down the hall. "I said it's _nothing_ , alright?"

"No! Not alright! What the hell in your damage?" She said, her voice beginning to raise with rage. Her pink hair had an unusual red tint to it.

"I spend all day sitting around and doing chores and taking care of Teddy. Have you ever thought that maybe it's hard, knowing you're out doing something you love and providing for us, when I feel so... _useless_?"

"We've _talked_ about this. You aren't being _useless._ Teddy needs to have someone around for him." She sighed, trying to comfort him.

"Do you ever think that _maybe_ you spend too much time away?" Remus asked in a defying demeanor.

"Well if I could just sit around all day and do nothing, I would, wouldn't I?" She shot back.

"Oh, is _that_ what you think I do?" Remus finally turned to look at her, and his face had become anger stricken.

"I never said that I did." Tonks addressed.

"You did a pretty damn good job of insinuating it, didn't you?"

"You know what?" She jumped to her feet, briefly disappearing to the front door and for a moment, Remus thought she was about to walk back out. Tonks returned with a piece of folded over paper between her fingers. "I wasn't going to bring it up, but I think _you're_ the one who needs to clear up his name before I do."

"What is that?" He asked genuinely.

"A receipt." She unfolded the paper. "It's from Halloween."

 _"And what exactly are you supposed to be?" Remus asked, smiling and looking her up at down._ _Tonks was quite amused with herself. After searching through her closet, she had dug out a pair of black robes that had been too big until she synched it up with a belt. To top it off, she had put on a pair of black boots and a pointed hat she had purchased from a muggle store. She changed her hair to a more neutral brown colour with a long grey streak in it, letting it hang on her shoulders._ _"I'm a witch, can't you tell?" She smiled, grabbing a plastic bowl from the cabinet to pour candy into._ _He chuckled grabbing his coat from the rack. Teddy came waddling over to his father in his own Halloween costume, which he had chosen with the help of his mother: a lion._ _"Daddy!" He exclaimed, grabbing ahold of his pants leg._ _"Teddy!" He replied, kneeling down. "Are you dressed up at a lion?"_ _"Rawr!" The toddler exclaimed, jumping up with excitement. In his whirlwind of livliness, his hair turned the colour of a blueberry, something he had taken up to be his favourite colour... at least for this week._ _"It has a hood on it, so he can sit on the porch with me and hand out candy. I thought he might getting to greet people since he seems so apt for it." She replied._ _"And I assume this has say, nothing to do with the fact he's going to be in Gryffindor some day?" He teased._ _"Hush it! He'll be in Hufflepuff one day when he grows up, and we both know it!" She snapped playfully._ _"Whatever you say, Darling." Remus grinned. "I have to go out for a little bit."_ _"Go?" She asked, slightly intrigued. He hadn't mentioned anything about needing to go somewhere._ _"It's just a quick errand." He insisted._ _"An errand...?"_ _"Shouldn't take me too long. I'll be right back before you know it." He smiled assuringly, going up to her and touching her back._ _"Is... everything alright? You seem a bit...evasive." Tonks pointed out uncomfortably, though trying to be light about it._ _"Of course. Is something wrong? I'm not trying to be evasive. Do I seem like it?" Remus asked, shaking his head._ _"Well, I don't want to pry, but-"_ _"It's nothing. I promise." He cut her off. "I just have to run over to the store. No need to worry about it."_ _"Okay, well... be careful alright? Apperating? I don't want you to be seen." She threw in._ _"I will." He walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm always careful."_ _"Hey," She stopped him, grabbing ahold of his sleeve. "Get your scarf, alright?"_ _He nodded, picking up his scarf from the table next to the door, holding it up to show her before pausing. "I love you." He announced, breaking the silence turning to his wife._ _"I... love you... too...?" She said hesitating, looking at him rather confused._ _"I lub you!" Teddy said loudly. He didn't quite understand what it meant, but he said it with much enthusiasm everytime. He had declared that he loved his parents, his godparents, his Nana, most of the Weasley family, a man at the grocery store, and the cat. Patches was perched on the counter, watching over his family and the candy dish with cut eyes, meowing and running away as his owner came by with her swift hand, trying to pet him._ _"And I love you!" He smiled, tickling the boy's sides, sending him into a fit of giggles._

"What does that have to do with anything?" Remus asked.

"I'm not one to go through your stuff, because I trust you, but first you're acting all weird, then you go out to buy _flowers of all things_ , which first off, I don't recall _seeing_ you come home with any." Tonks crossed her arms insecurily across her chest. "But now you're going and talking about how I'm never home when _I'm_ the one working a full time job to support our family? What's gotten into you lately?"

Remus propped his elbow up on the arm of the couch, rubbing his eyes. He let out a low sigh. "I know how this looks."

"Yeah!" Tonks exclaimed loudly, her hair now becoming a rosy colour. "And I kind of want an explanation!"

"I..." He gave her a guilty look. "It's not like that. I wasn't giving them to anyone like that... it's just something I did on every Halloween until the last couple of years... I'm sorry, it's just embarrassing trying to explain now-"

Her face went blank, her mouth hanging open. "You went to Godric's Hollow, didn't you?"

There was a pause. "Yes." Remus admitted.

Tonks let go of the breath she had been holding, her hair lightening a bit in colour. "Okay... okay, that... _explains_ the flowers. I won't bring it up again. I'm sorry."

Remus slid forward on his seat. "Dora, I'm just worried... I know how this sounds but... I don't want you to get so caught up in everything you forget about me. And then I can't do anything to help you." She slouched onto the seat next to him. "I know that we're both making sacrifices for this relationship, but sometimes I don't want to just be idling on the side, watching you go on to thrive. Not that I don't love seeing you succeed, but... sometimes I just want to do more. For the both of us. For Teddy."

Tonks nodded slowly. "I don't give you enough credit, do I? You really are an amazing husband and I forget sometimes how much you've put off for us."

He reached over to take her hand and she let him. "I'm sorry."

After a moment, she nodded again. "I'm sorry too." Remus leaned over, kissing her temple.


	36. Flowers

The Burrow's kitchen had finally cleared out of people. Molly was somewhere upstairs, supposedly with Ginny, since faint yelling could've been heard from above. Fleur and Tonks were at the kitchen table, tasked with arranging fake flowers into vases. "I really am sorry if I seemed impolite the other night." Tonks brought up.

" 'ou did not seem impolite." Fleur shook her head. " I was more worried zan anysing. I sought zat maybe you were ill."

"I'm alright now." Tonks shook her head. "So how are you? How are you feeling?"

" Eet iz like I am tired all ze time. And I am not really a fan of ze sickness, but eet iz getting better." Fleur sighed, fluffing up a bouquet of flowers.

"That's not any fun, is it? Have you told your side of the family yet?"

"I 'ave. I st-eel 'ave a few weekz to find out if eet iz a boy or a girl. I was 'oping it would be sooner. I cannot wait." Fleur smiled graciously.

"Do you all have any names picked out yet?" Tonks asked excitedly.

"I sort of like 'Dominique', but Bill izn't az much of a fan. 'e said he wants ee-ser a girl name or a boy name." Her friend said thoughtfully.

"You will be alright with the wedding though, yes? All the standing?"

"Oh, I should be fine." She smiled. "You know, it zeems like zis is all anyone wants to talk about." Fleur sighed, quuckly correcting herself. "Not ze wedding, ze baby."

"Oh, sorry." She looked away, focusing on the flowers. "Maybe we talk about something else then? How are things otherwise? You're still working at the bank, right?"

"Oh, yes, Bill iz doing well. Work 'az been a bit bland lately, actually." She chuckled. "I will sure enjoy ze maternity leave."

"Yeah," she chuckled. "Work's been pretty boring for me since I went back last year."

There was an awkward silence, filled with the sound of flowers being stuck in the glass pebbles that lined the bottoms of the vases.

"Can I ask 'ou some-sing?" Fleur conveyed an uncomfortable frown.

"Of course. What's on your mind?" Tonks nodded, looking over her current flower vase before going to make another arrangement.

"Do you ever sink zat maybe we are friends... because we 'ad to be?"

"Have to be?" She questioned

"It juzt seemz zat... well, I sought zat... you did not have anyone else to be your friend?" Fleur's voice seemed a bit nervous, but she sounded more snobbish and flippant than usual.

"I... I do have other friends." Tonks's voice on the other hand was detached, but she didn't become angry or defensive. "Did you just think that you had to be my friend because of the war and the Order or Bill or-?"

"I juzt do not see what 'ou and I 'ave in common. We are very... different." Fleur announced, cutting her short curtly. "I sought zat you 'ad no one elze."

"I know that we're different, but what does that have to do with anything?" Tonks shook her head, still not looking her supposed friend in the eye.

" Eet iz juzt a bit hard for us to talk about anysing when we don't have anysing in common."

There was a pause.

"Well... what kind of things... are you into?" Tonks finally asked.

"I... like to read. Magazines and books and such." She said without looking up. "Missezz Weazley 'as taught me 'ow to knit. I am sinking about 'elping to make ze sweaters zis year."

"That'll give you something to do." Tonks nodded. She felt a bit upset at the idea of having her annual sweater made by someone other than Molly, but did not vocalize it. She had once received sweaters as a teenager when she first became friends with Bill and Charlie, going several years without when she was in auror training, then being gifted again when she joined the Order.

"And what about 'ou?"

"Uh, well, I don't have a lot of time for a lot of hobbies, but um, I guess I'm interested in... quidditch and I do like music... I don't think I can sit still long enough to read books all the time. That's more of a Remus thing, I think."

There was another length of silence.

"Fleur, is this... I don't want to intrude, but, were you not interested in making Remus and I the godparents?"

"Oh no!" Fleur shook her head. "I sink zat ze two of 'ou would be great. 'ou are both zo very good with Little Teddy. I sink 'ou would be wonderful! Oh, wouldn't 'e like 'aving a little friend, too?

"But... what about us? I mean, you and me?" Tonks asked hesitantly

"I juzt sink zat... maybe we should sink about zat, being friends and all..." Her voice trail off. "I don't know why I brought zat up. Eet iz juzt zat I do not know 'ou az well az I sought I did. I didn't know how 'ou felt on where we stood."

"Don't worry about it-" Tonks was interrupted when Ginny came furiously stomping down the steps, her arms crossed. "Everything okay up there?"

"I can not _believe_ that woman! I keep telling her that this isn't that big of a deal and I couldn't care _less_ if my dress is an _ivory_ or a _porcelain_! It's all the same colour!" Ginny declared, exasperated, throwing herself into a chair at the table.

"Don't look at me." Tonks said with raised eyebrows, tying ribbons into bows around the vases. "I know about as much as you, Hon."

"I sink zat an ivory would look better on 'ou with your skin tone." Fleur suggested.

Ginny rolled her eyes, laying her chin on her outstretched arms. She gestured for Tonks to lean over to her, which she did. "I _hate_ this whole pregnancy thing. I think Phlegm over there knows where she can shove that ivory-"

"I 'eard zat." Fleur said in a low sigh.


	37. A Father's Purpose

Remus was awoken to an unusual and slight disturbing clatter coming from the hallway. It was an unnerving noise, considering his wife, who had had a difficult time this week with her sleeping, was in a sound, dreamless trance. He quickly grabbed his wand from his bedside table, flicking the covers off of him.

"Lumos." He said in a low, hoarse voice, a bright blue light flooding the room. He was almost worried that his wife was still so sound asleep, except that he could see the rising and falling of her chest. He walked slowly at first down the hallway, until he realized the rattling noise was coming from his son's room. He slid around the corner, wand drawn when saw the culprit of the disturbance. Remus let out a sigh and lowered his wand.

Teddy was standing up in his crib, holding on tightly to the wooden bars and shaking, causing the scene. He looked up at his father with a smile, bouncing up and down on the mattress. Currently, he had taken on an almost sickly yellow-green colour hair.

"Daddy!" Teddy exclaimed, making grabby hands to him. Remus had to set up protective charms around the crib to keep him from escaping, but if this was the price he had to pay for it, he was certainly not amused.

According to his watch, it was almost five-thirty, meaning Tonks would have to get up for work soon anyways, subsequently dragging her husband out of bed with her. Remus turned on the lights, blinking his eyes fully awake and walking over to the child. "Good morning, Teddy." He yawned, smoothing out his son's hair.

"Up! Up!" The boy said in a loud voice, smiling from ear to ear.

Remus chuckled, scooping up the boy in his arms with exaggerated effort, which Teddy seemingly found funny, and half cradling him in his arms. "Why are you up so early, huh?" He asked. _"Why are you up so early?"_

Teddy laughed, his hair turning its happy blue colour. Tonks was still asleep by the time Remus got Teddy dressed in his clothes, even with the toddler's adamant approach to helping put on his socks.

"What'd'ya say we got wake up the Mum, huh?" Remus smiled.

"Mummy's asleep!" Teddy said in a harsh attempt at a whisper as his father set him down on the bed. He hastily crawled over to his mother leaning over her. "Mummy! Muuuummmmyy!" He whined, shoving her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Tonks groaned, burying her head under the pillow. "Remus...?"

"Take another try, Sweetheart." Remus smiled.

"Hmm?" She pulled her head out from under the pillow, seeing her son and smiling. "Teddy! Why are you up already?"

"Someone couldn't sleep, I suppose." Remus explained as he got dressed.

"Oh, c'mon kid, that's an _adult_ problem. You don't even have anything to worry about!" She said playfully, rolling onto her back. "No you dont!"

"Yes!" Teddy declared, mimicking her.

"Only all of the important problems like keeping up with Howard." Tonks said, picking up the elephant that her son had brought with him and setting it on her chest. "Did you bring him here all the way for _me?"_

"No!" Teddy whined, playfully

"No?" She said, looking over the toy. "But I like Howard!"

"No!" Teddy replied again in his spirited giggle.

Tonks sighed dramatically, reaching out the elephant to give to her son. "Well I guess I better give him back then..." Teddy tried to take it from her, but she jokingly yanked it back a couple of times before he could grab it. She kissed the top of his head before climbing out from under the covers and onto her feet, helping Teddy down onto the floor. Almost immediately, he scampered off into another room to play. "He'll take a good nap though, won't he?"

Remus laughed nervously. "That's a bit of a gamble. Guess we'll have to wait and see..."

Tonks kissed her husband quickly. "I'm going to go shower. Don't wait up on me." She chuckled. "Seems Teddy's already going on with or without you."

"Isn't he always?" He sighed.

In the time it took for her to get ready for the day, Teddy was already exploring the furniture with his trusted sippy cup practically glued to him. Remus, as vigilant and careful as he was with everything, almost burned the scrambled eggs he was cooking while trying to keep him from leaning the hard way what happens while spinning in circles on a stomach full of milk. It was too early for this.

"I'm heading out early so I can clock out early, alright? I'll get to be here for dinner." Tonks said happily, putting on her coat to leave.

"Teddy, no-" Remus hurriedly pried the mischievous child from climbing on the table. "No problem. Teddy-"

She wondered over to the kitchen table, drawing the child away from him climbing. "Hey, Little Man, try not to give Dad a hard time, will you? Be good." Tonks kissed his head, pecking her husband on the cheek. "I'll see you two later, alright?"

"See you tonight, love." Remus nodded, watching her leave. "No, see, you have to sit _here_ and _not_ climb on things, understand?"

Teddy was always a messy eater, but given a bib, towel, or simply a cleaning charm, was quite the mealtime entertainment... or handful given his mood.

"No, _that's_ yours." Remus explained, pointing the the sliced pieces of banana on the child's plate in an attempt to deter him from his own. "You have plenty of your own. Finish those first."

The child went wide-eyed in excitement at the sudden change from "but I want _those_ " to "look! it's what he has!", beginning to shove banana slices in his mouth.

"Not that many, you'll choke. Slow down! Remus warned.

Teddy, in all his energy, refused to slow down through the day. Come afternoon, his father even let him go outside to play in the snow. Despite neither of them owning muggle cars, the side walk outside of the house needed to be shoveled and Remus couldn't just wave his wand and make all of the snow disappear. Instead, he decided to do it himself the hard way, though Teddy did catch on and try to help manually move the snow, though it was hardly helpful as Remus was still constantly watching over him, and more so since he attempted to take off his gloves while lifting snow.

Naptime (for the both of them) came with many tears and belligerent cries, but was painlessly over with and Teddy was back up on his feet again. He did, however, sit still for a while when his father read to him his (current) favourite book which had brightly coloured depictions of animals that Teddy could now proudly demonstrate both the names and sounds of. He also enjoyed "helping" his father make dinner by standing on a chair and watching him stillfully. Remus tried to use as little magic as he could, knowing that one day his son could very well find himself in the situation of making friends with muggles or having to do things the muggle way way. Even if his son _couldn't_ grasp the concept of magic and muggle, he would know of the existence of magic either way, so teaching him the muggle way seemed pointless, yet it gave Remus a sense of purpose to teach his son something.

Unsurprisingly, Tonks didn't make it home in time for dinner as she had planned. Teddy didn't understand it, but Remus just sort of sighed to himself and went along with his evening. One day, he would explain to him that his mum was out protecting them, and so many others, even if it just was one spreadsheet or file at a time. Bedtime was always easier than naptime because Teddy had become a sleepy tired, rather than a cranky one. Remus couldn't but smile and be proud of his son as he watched him try and dress himself, as well as brush his teeth. The child's happy-go-lucky nature, matched with the ever-changing hair was comforting to him as he saw his wife in everything the child did.

He tried not to worry once he got the child to bed. His wife would walk in any minute, berating him with apologies and tired looks, perhaps a new cut on her face that she would morph away the scar to as soon as it healed and never speak of again. Remus considered staying up for her and reading or finding some odd job or chore, like the broken cabinet hinge he had been so determined on fixing for months now, but decided on going straight to bed instead.

Unfortunately, he had quickly made a mistake in assuming his wife had spent the evening at the office.


	38. Gone Missing

**AN: Just a heads up in case the next couple of chapters may be a bit odd.**

As of 5:37 that evening, Nymphadora Tonks unofficially went missing when she walked out of the door of the office. The Ministry believed she had left to go on a mission, her husband believed she had gotten stuck at work, and some careless junior officer who thought he was helping believed she had already left to go home, but forgotten to sign out, doing it himself.

So tecnically, no one knew exactly where she and her partner were. Remus wouldn't have worried (not that he wouldn't have _complained_ ), since she had spent more nights at her desk than she cared to admit to, until the next morning when it came time for her to go back. According to the Ministry's policy, since she had never intentionally skipped work, an owl was sent out to remind her of her shift. Given she wasn't home, Remus had to be the one to receive it.

As of almost 8:52 that morning, she had finally been declared missing, along with her partner, Sparrow Dwight. There was a sinking feeling in Remus's stomach when he first heard she was missing with the man. It wouldn't surprise him that she would be so careless as to sign her name out, but he had to remind himself that she wouldn't be gone _this_ long. Even meeting the woman who claimed she had lost her husband in all this seemed unconvincing to him.

 _Everything_ seemed unconvincing to him. Every worst possible scenario shuffled through his mind and he was frankly _terrified_ that his first fear wasn't that she could be killed. She _couldn't_ be, could she? He decided that until he saw her body and _then_ he wouldn't consider it.

xxxxx

Tonks had walked out of the door at 5:37 that evening with a frustrated look on her face. "I cannot _believe_ this. I show up _early_ and now I'm going to be gone all night..."

"Now, don' be so optimistic." Dwight sighed. "I'm not checkin' out if _you_ ain't. I'm comin' back."

"You were here almost all night last night." His partner pointed out as the two stepped into the elevator.

"Not tha' I hate it or nothin', but I'm sorta tryin' to stay out of the way for a bit." He explained in an unusually embarrassed voice. Tonks simply kept her thoughts to herself. "Anyways, what've we got?"

"Apparently there's been a bit of foul play and they don't want to turn themselves over." She explained. "We're giving their last warning."

"Wha' kind of foul play? Are we talkin' real crazies or some dumbasses foolin' around?"

"Somewhere in the middle, I think. Smuggling stolen goods. I mean, it's probably not a bunch of psychopaths, or they wouldn't be sending just us, would they?"

"Ya keep sayin' ' _them_ '. How many we talkin' here?" He asked skeptically.

"Two. Brothers." She sighed. "Something and Someone Colbert."

Her frustration was quickly replaced with the unease as they approached the house. The structure itself was intact but a foul, revolting odour coming from somewhere on the porch. It was hard to exactly classify given the fact that despite the space taken up by a short walkway and a caving in hole, most of the porch was occupied with garbage of some form or another.

"Yer knockin'." Dwight declared, pulling his coat up over his nose.

"Fine." Tonks banged on the door with her fist, taking out a thick yellow envelope with the other. She tightened her face into her practiced forced smile, her partner begrudgingly lowering his lapel.

"If they ain't home-"

As soon as he spoke, the door swung open. A man came to the door, gripping the frame with long claw-like fingers. He was taller than the both of them, cowering over in a demeaning manner. His eyes were heavily-lidded and bulging out at them, the whites gone yellow in the corners. There was what looked like black fur draped over his shoulders, almost resembling a bear The nasty smell seemed only further flood the room.

"Mr. Colbert?" Dwight asked, hiding behind his coat sleeve. "We came ta give ya this-"

The man cut his eyes. "Come inside." He hissed.

"I'd rather no', actually." Dwight said firmly.

"We just came to meet with out about your court date or we will-"

"I said, come in." The man growled. "I don't want you people talking about this shit where the whole neighbourhood can hear."

The pair both turned to look behind them. There _weren't_ any neighbours, at least nearby. The house just had dense trees surrounding it in a clearing.

The man yanked the door open for them to enter, and so they filed in. "We came to arrange a court-" Tonks had to keep herself from gagging. The interior oozed a warm, rotten smell that leaked out of all of the crumbling leather furniture and piles of junk and even more garbage that littered the Immediately, she felt as if the air was being sucked into her clothes. "...a court date that would be feasible for all of us..."

"Right, right..." The man was distracted and scattered, quickly wandering, though he had a slight limp on his left side. The two aurors stood close together, hesitant to touch anything within range. They tried their best to remain composed but the beast of a man that stood before them seemed to have achieved his goal of intimidation. _No wonder they sent_ _us here, no one else would bother to come..._

A second man appeared from around the corner. He seemed less intimidating, but not by much. He carried less of a savage or animalistic appearance, but rather a dirty, crawled-out-of-a-gutter look. He was less looming and had more of a disturbed tick to him. His eyes were visibly crooked and his hair was long and sticking out, yet balding as if he had yanked it out in clumps. If his brother was the bear, he was a disease plagued rodent, waiting for them to step close enough for him to gnaw on.

"We jus' need ta finish filin' the paperwork." Dwight explained, pointing to the envelope. "It won' take but a second o' yer time and we'll be on our way."

"We know what you want." The first brother groaned, circling the two aurors. "Seems you all ain't getting the idea, huh?"

"Sir, this _isn't_ negotiatable." Tonks warned in a shallow voice. "If you continue to refuse, we _will_ have to bring you into custody."

"Everything's negotiable." The second brother said in a rattling cackle. "You just have to name your price."

"Uh... _or_ we could negotiate 'bout ya signin' the bloody paperwork so we can leave?" Dwight remarked, beginning to slide his hand into his pocket for his wand.

"Ignore him. Why don't we sit down and discuss this?" The first brother said in what Tonks couldn't help to ignore the uneasiness in her stomach.

"We're leaving." She announced, turning to walk back to the door. "We'll leave the folder, you can deliver it yourselves or we will be forced to make a visit where we _all_ leave."

"We _need_ that

"We need to _go."_ Tonks shot back at Dwight in an aggressive whisper, attempting to drag her partner away to the door, but the exit was blocked by the towering man.

"Hey, really, you're leaving so soon?" The first one impelled, his hand uncomfortably close on her back, as if her was patting on her side, the other rest on Dwight's shoulder. "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot... We'd be more than happy to discuss this _civilly._ "

"Only if _you_ do." Dwight growled at the man.

"I see no need to be drawing wands so soon. There's no need for the two of you to enter so hostile." He said. Despite his appearce, his voice seemed eloquent, or at least charismatic enough to lure the man's fingers away from the wand. "It's just a contract signing, is it not? We were more than happy to be hospitable, but we will be happy to begin right away."

"Then let's get on with it." Tonks threw in quickly. "We'll witness it right now." She nearly had to fight herself loose from his hand, walking over to the nearest flat surface that didn't seem to be completely covered in junk and trash. "If you have a quill, if you could please-" The moment her back turned, there was a thrashing sound of metal and a gasp before a horrifying cry. Tonks drew her wand and turned to the men, her friend collapsing onto the floor, clutching his head with his hands. The first Colter brother wielded his own wand, the second a glossy, blood stained blade, cowering behind the first.

"Stupify-"

"Imperio!" The man yelled. Both spells rebounded, sending dissolving sparks onto the carpeted floors.

Tonks groaned, clutching her arm and the man stumbled back wheezing. The second brother drew out a wand of his own and pointed it at the woman.

"Are we gonna have to make this hard?" He shouted. Spells and hexes were fired back and forth between the three, sending flashes of light and sparks in every direction, with no discernable outcome.

Tonks exhaled quickly, drawing up her arm to hold her wand, but not without an effort. "Stupi-" Whoever hit her first, hit hard, sending her falling to her knees in a pain that shot through her chest as if she couldn't breathe. Her arms weren't her own in the moment that her wand had gone flying from her grasp.


	39. Be Here Soon

It still wasn't quite afternoon yet, but Remus hadn't left the auror office yet.

"Remus, I know you're worried, but you ought to head home." Andromeda said softly, sitting down beside him. "They won't find her any faster if you sit here."

"I know." Remus sighed, sitting up on the bench he had been occupying. Teddy was perched on his grandmother's knee and was looking around busily at all the people. Had he noticed that his mother hadn't come home the night before? Probably not. Was he interested in everything else around him? Probably.

"Come on, you know she can handle herself." Andromeda coaxed. "She'll stumble in, all beat up from a scuffle and we'll have to chide her for not thinking before she acts... _again_. Or... she won't. And we have to hope that she does."

"She'd better." He replied, trying to make light of it. "In all seriousness, how long do we wait before we should worry?"

"I never said we shouldn't." She remarked. "But I'd say, if she's not back by tonight, you need to tell the others."

Remus nodded quietly. "Has anything like this ever happened before?"

"What? Dora getting some _infallible_ idea that gets herself swept off for the night? Yes. Though, I think the last time anything serious happened was years ago when she was training. I think it was more dangerous then, with..." Andromeda lowered her voice. "... _death eaters_ all over the place. This could still be nothing more than a misunderstanding, I'm sure. I know that I sound like I'm in denial about the whole thing and _that_ doesn't help you either."

"I think I hate the idea of that more, though at least she'd be safe." Remus confessed. His mother-in-law extended her hand to him, squeezing in gently. "Teddy probably needs an N-A-P soon, or he'll start nodding off." Teddy turned his head quickly to see his father, smiling and swinging his legs back and forth. Remus kissed the child's head and Teddy turned his face away in embarassment. Currently, his hair was a deep navy blue and Remus could tell he had been eyeing the colour of one of the auror's robes.

"Daddy..." The boy cooed.

"This will all be over soon. Not sure if I can promise it, but this is going to be the worst part." Andromeda explained, gently patting his cheek and pressing a kiss on his temple. "We'll get through this, one way or another, you hear me, Remus?"

"She can't keep doing this." He shook his head. "This whole going missing thing every few months. It's going to be the death of me."

"It's taking years off of both of our lives." She agreed, trying to make light of it.

"I don't know what I'd do." Remus told her. "With Teddy, I don't know what I'd do if anything serious happened to her."

"I'm here for you, you hear me?" Andromeda comforted. "Whatever comes of this."

The basement of the Colbert house was dark and unwelcoming, though it almost looked like the cleanest room in the house. Mildew and mold permeated the air and there was only one naked bulb beside the door at the top of the stairs where the two sat. Dwight looked sick and weak, but he was managing not to die. There was no way for them to perform magic, resorting to making do with what they had. It wouldn't have been that difficult to pick the lock... given there was a _doorknob_ , which there wasn't.

"Stop moving." Tonks ordered, wrapping a torm piece of cloth from her shirt over his bloody ear wound. "Dwight, stop-"

"What?" He asked, turning his head to hear.

"I said _stop_ _moving."_ She commanded again. "You're a complete _ass_ , I hope you know that. We should have left while we could, but you had to get all hard-headed and _I_ went along with it-"

"I dunno what ya said 'bout me bein' an ass, but I prob'ly deserve it."

"You're shouting at me."

"Wha-"

"Shut up!" She finally snapped. "Just... shut up! _Please_? I swear, you don't listen."

"I can'." He stated, pointing st the wound. "How long've we been here?"

She looked at her watch. "It's been almost... seventeen hours. You've stopped bleeding... mostly. They have to be looking for us."

"We're gonna be in big trouble." Dwight sighed.

"They won't kill us or anything." Tonks said, fairly confident in herself. "They're trying to scare the Ministry. Even then, for a couple of crazies, they're hardly beating us around. Not to make light of your... ear, but we're not exactly being berated with curses."

"Not them, the _Ministry_." He explained. "We keep this up an' we'll have a track record."

"Out of what? How many other times have we _actually_ found ourselves in a situation like this?"

"We all fuck up a li'l sometimes, don' we? But we can' make it a habit. But _r_ _eally,_ that was a stupid move for both o' us."

There was a pause.

"Are you scared?" Tonks asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you _scared?_ "

"Well I ain't exactly excited ta be here." He snarked. "Are ya scared, Pinks?"

"Nope." She declared. "The other Senior Officers will probably be here any minute now, hell, they might send the Juniors."

"Ya keep sayin' tha all hopeful an' I jus' hope ya ain't wrong."

"They're not death eaters, and they certainly aren't werewolves or snatchers. At _best_ , their criminals who are are least smart enough to subdue _our_ dumbasses. What _were_ we thinking?"

"At least ya can give 'em that." He replied. "I think we jus' hoped for tha best."

"Well would _you_ rather try and break out?"

"No, 'cause the last time ya tried it, we lost tha bloody fuckin' doorknob and ya got yaself a black eye. "

"Do _you_ want to-"

"Nope." He said quickly. "Don' know what ya sayin', don' care. I ain't movin'. I already prol'ly lost my ear, not losin' anythin' else."


	40. Lucked Out

It was the middle of the night, but after she slept all afternoon and he spent all of his time watching over her, neither wanted shut their eyes now.

"Are you still awake?" Remus asked, sitting down on the bed beside his wife.

"No." Tonks replied, pulling the blanket up to her face.

A smile crept on his face as he crawled into bed next to her. "I think you're lying."

"Do you now?" She smiled back. The couple found themselves snuggled together, hidden in a tangle under the sheets.

"Today could've been so much worse." Remus said, wrapping his arms tightly around his wife. "Do you hear me?"

"Yeah." Tonks shivered, burying her face in his chest.

"We're _so_ lucky that went as well as it did." He pulled the comforter over them, rubbing his hands over her bare shoulders and arms. "You had us scared for a good while. We were completely in the dark about everything, and-and-" Remus was beginning to get himself worked up.

"Shh, shh, hey, it's okay. Don't get all worked up. I'm surprised the whole thing went so smoothly." She replied, gently touching his face. "Poor Dwight. They said he'd be alright, be he looked pretty messed up last I saw."

"I'm just glad that _you're_ safe." He admitted, turning onto his side to face her, kissing her. She buried closer to him, their noses brushing together.

Tonks chuckled softly. "See? You can't get rid of me _that_ easily."

Remus looked over her face carefully. There was something harsh and tired that she was trying to hide. "Are you okay?" He asked softly. "You seem like you have a lot on your mind."

She sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "It's hard sometimes to go into work, and I know it's only going to get worse. Constantly forgetting how bad yesterday was to start over again and again... It's exhausting trying to keep up. I mean, hell, I can't afford to let this stop me, even if I had lost all my limbs or something. Sometimes... I just want to forget everything."

"I can't help you with that." He frowned, leaning in to kiss her.

"You do..." She assured, pulling him closer to kiss him. "You do help." Remus reached up, brushing his hand over her cheek. Tonks tried to keep up her smile, but couldn't, her eyebrows creasing. "You tolerate me so much and-"

"Darling, I'm not the one tolerating." He cut her off.

"I just want to forget." Her voice creaked, her feet still shuffling. "I just want to go back to the way things used to be."

"Before... this incident today?"

She shook her head. "Before... before _everything._ I know I sound whiny, but I feel like we had death eaters at our backs and life was still easier."

Remus cut her off with a kiss in an attempt to comfort her. "I know where you're coming from." Her eyes were bloodshot, wrinkling at the corners, bruises lining the side of her face, sprinkling down her chest. Her expression was completely unconvincing. "We can't turn back and change what's happened, but maybe we'll be able to learn from things like this."

"I know that I was being completely _stupid_ in going alone and putting myself in that situation." Tonks swallowed hard. "I just don't know what it is that we're supposed to learn here."

"I don't either." Remus said quietly.

There was only the rustling of of the comforter as the two sat wordlessly, nestled together in the other's company.

"Hey, are we-" Tonks asked, tilting her head back to let him get closer to her neck.

"What?" He breathed, pulling his head back.

She cleared her throat. "Nevermind. Were you trying to sleep? Ignore me, it's nothing."

"Are we what?" He pulled back, looking down at her.

"I dunno." She said in almost a whisper. "I was thinking about something Bill said and... do you ever think we were fixated on the kid we lost? Do you still think about that or am I just completely off the handle?"

"Explain what you mean by 'fixated'."

"Do you _really_ want to sit through a therapy session with me right now?" She asked, mildly frustrated.

"Yes. I want to know what's bothering you." He insisted.

"On top of being held hostage overnight?" Tonks nodded, looking away. "I keep finding myself thinking of Fleur and how happy she is and I don't want to take that from her, but it's seems like it's on my mind all the time... Just thinking about what we could've been as a family and all that..."

"I don't know what to say." He sighed. "It... hurt me pretty badly too when it happened, but at the same time, I'm not even sure if we were... _meant_ for two children."

"We never talked about ... _anything_ , really... except that you were so terrified that it was your fault. It's just been bottled up for so long for me, I-" Tonks shook her head. "You know what, I don't want to think about it." She pulled him back closer to her. "I don't want to think about anything right now. Work, babies, none of it... Let's forget it for now, alright?" His wife hastily proposed. "Too much has happened and right now, we ought to just focus on moving forward instead."

"Do you want to go ahead to sleep then?" Remus asked, sounding confused to an extent, but trying to comfort her.

"Did you have something else in mind?" She prodded.

"Did _you?"_ He chuckled. She laughed and grabbed him by the shirt and pulling him against her.

Remus reached up her shirt, tickling her stomach to make her laugh, trying to squirm away from him. " _Stop!_ Stop _it!"_ She whined, giggling and shoving at his arms, her feet kicking playfully at his ankles. _"Remus! Cut it out!"_

 _"Make me."_ He retaliated with a smirk. He pushed himself up onto her.

"Oh, _oh,_ I see how it is." She propped herself up on her elbows, pushing herself up to kiss him, her fingers grazing through his hair. For now, her hair stayed a bright pink and the two managed to forget their worries-or at least shove them far enough to the side they couldn't see them-spending the rest of the night with their smiles and each other's affection.


	41. Stitches

Tonks had never found herself in a situation where she had to stitch a wound, but thankfully, she knew how to when she did. She felt obligated shortly after learning that about werewolf wounds's inability to be healed magically.

"I mean, that _looks_ right, right?" She asked her mother desperately.

"Yes, it's fine." Andromeda nodded. She had volunteered herself for the grueling task, except she was afraid for her slightly shaking hands.

Remus was too utterly exhausted to care. Or maybe he wasn't. He couldn't decide. There was a numbing throb in his forehead. A burning pain shot through his shoulder and down his arm and he was too afraid to look, turning his head the other way from it while his wife cleaned away at it. He knew that much. "Is it bad?" He managed.

"No." Tonks said in a high voice, blotting his arm clean with a washcloth. "I'm working on it..."

"We're stabbing an open wound with a needle, Lupin, hoping it'll get better. What do you think?" Andromeda said dryly amongst the chaos.

 _"Mum!"_ Tonks scolded.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to be honest and it-" The woman said something, trailing off into the other room. He couldn't be bothered to listen; it was as if cotton filled his ears as blood rushed to his head.

"I don't know what went wrong." His wife said desperately, wrapping a bandage around his arm. "I don't understand... You took your potion, you were okay last night, what _happened_..."

"I'm fine. I'm fine." He repeated, shaking his head. "Really, don't worry about me. Dora...Dora, don't worry-"

"Uh, _that's_ not going to happen." She remarked.

"I can do it myself." Remus insisted, trying to take over.

 _"Don't."_ She growled, swatting his hand away. Tonks fixed the bandage, her fingers grazing softly over the cloth. "It's going to scar pretty badly... God, _why..._ "

"They always scar, though, don't they?" He mumbled bitterly, closing his eyes.

"Here, help me get you dressed." She sighed, her feet almost skipping past the floor as she walked. She tried to at least make light of the situation. "Don't worry, I think I caught Mum admiring your underpants."

His cheeks went red at the realization. "I don't need help-"

"Yes, you do." Tonks corrected. She carefully worked around the various cuts, bruises, and bandages to get him dressed. She helped him stand up for a moment to work up his pants.

He began to fix his shirt, but she stopped him, doing it herself. "The buttons are lopsided." He pointed out. She let go of her breath, going back and fixing the lopsided buttons. "Thank you." Remus tried to say genuinely.

"You're welcome." She nodded nonchalantly.

 _"Thank you._ " He repeated. Her eyes darted up to look at his. "You don't have to do any of this."

Her head shook. "It's not that big of a deal." His fingers gripped the edge of the chair and she reached forward, kissing him. When the two finally seperated, she rested her head on his shoulder, forcing him to wince as she ushered apologies.

"It _is_ that big of a deal." She told him, her voice breaking down. "It scares me every time that maybe... I think I know how you felt when I was missing. It's like _that._ I have to stand here and watch, aimlessly..."

"Shh, shh, shh." Remus shook his head, forcing his arm up to touch her head. "I'm fine, you hear me? I've been through worse than this. I'm okay... I'm okay, I promise."

"I just wish there was a way I could _fix_ it." Tonks admitted, her hands still holding on tightly to his shirt collar.

"There isn't and you know that." He tried to say softly. "You do more than enough. All you're doing is worrying yourself to death and-" He waited for her to interject him and she waited for him to finish. "You shouldn't have to worry about me like this. You shouldn't have to help me get dressed, you shouldn't have to bandage me, you shouldn't have to put your life on hold like this, you-"

"You're right." She nodded solemnly, pulling away. "I shouldn't. I _shouldn't_ _have_ to stop everything for you. I _shouldn'_ _t_ worry like this. And it isn't your fault you have to put up with this _shit_."

"You didn't _have_ to marry a sick man." His voice sounded cynical, almost hateful towards her. "You would've saved yourself a lot of the trouble if you had just left me be."

"And I did anyway, didn't I?" She threw back at him. They were silent as she helped pull his socks up. He watched her carefully, folding his hands in his lap. "I didn't marry you so I could have an easy life. I married you because I _love_ you. I don't understand why you keep pulling this shit with me. You _know_ I don't _mind_ doing any of this for you."

"You shouldn't _have_ to _mind._ This shouldn't be something that just crosses you mind." He said, trying to stand up on his own.

 _"Don't-"_

"I'm _fine_ , Dora." He grumbled. Tonks didn't say anything, but she rushed over, wrapping her arm around his back, resting her other hand on his chest. "Dora, please, I can-"

 _"Remus."_ She set her foot down. "I'm tired of your attitude. This, 'I'm not good enough for you' bullshit you have going. It's been two and a half _years._ Do you think I'm _going_ somewhere? No, my job is to take care of you, as a human being and as your wife."

"Well I can't help but think that you can't help but feel that you might see yourself as... _stuck_ with me."

"Seems _you're_ the one stuck." Tonks snorted.

"Dora, I'm being _serious._ Can't you just _listen_ to me without immediately saying the same thing over and over? See, you keep _saying_ the same thing _over_ and _over,_ but does that make it _any_ more defensible or rational?" Remus's voice was raising in frustration. "Does that make it _any_ more reasonable just because you repeat your argument?"

" _Remus,_ I don't need to elaborate on myself because I don't _need_ an elaborate argument. I am supposed to take care of you. I knew what I was doing then and I know what I'm doing now. I can handle myself."

"Well maybe that's what you ought to focus on then." He stated.

Tonks went silent, turning to her husband. She gave him a small smile, kissing his cheek before stepping away forcing him to stumble on his feet and grab onto the dresser. "Mum made breakfast in the kitchen..." Her smile didn't falter. "If you want to join us. I'll save you a plate." She announced before walking out of the door.

Alone in the room, he stared down at his feet and sighed.


	42. Dances

Fleur looked as light as air. She was truly radiant, her blonde hair smoother than ever and skin as pure as can be. She was delicate, waddling with her precious baby bump. The soft silk violet gowns that Ginny had chosen for the bridesmades fit them was a bit snug on her, but Fleur carried herself with grace and poise. She smiled and laughed, carrying on with the Bill and George.

Except Tonks. Everyone was up laughing and dancing under the sparkling blue and purple lights that floated over their heads. Tonks sat at a table in the corner of the large white tent with a glass of champagne, picking at her fingernails in distraction. Her hair was currently a curly dirty blonde that she pinned up on her head; the blonde she had chosen was meant to closer match the other bridesmaids to keep from distracting with her bubblegum pink.

Tonks thought about Fleur, emembering how strange it was when she was pregnant, she had hidden herself away in depression, ill and tired constantly. Yet there was her best and seemingly last friend, glamorous and flaunting herself publicly.

Did _they_ ever fight like she did with her husband? Did _they_ constantly have to worry about Wolfsbane and protective wards? Did Fleur ever have to stay up at night, worrying about her husband and if she would have to stitch him back together into one piece the next morning? _Why_ was Fleur the prettier, happier, and just generally better off equivalent of herself? Tonks could almost feel sick with envy, but she stopped herself from letting her sulking get to her head too much.

"Dora?" Remus asked, walking over to her. He had to hold onto the table, his leg still stiff and hurting. "Why aren't you out enjoying yourself?"

"I am." Tonks smiled, taking a sip of her drink, dark lipstick staining the rim. "I just needed a break."

"You look like you need one." He agreed, holding out his hand. "Come on."

"What for?" She asked curiously, standing up.

"Just come with me." He nodded in the other direction.

"What-" She sighed, standing up and taking his hand. He pulled her through the crowd (quite literally dragging her, since her shoes were painfully uncomfortable to walk in, keeping her at a snail's pace) to where the others were dancing. "Remus-"

He smiled at her, taking her in his arms to dance. "Stop being so sad like this." He said quietly just against her ear. "Really, you look miserable."

"I'm not trying to." She told him, leaning on his shoulder, the two swaying slowly to the music. "Blonde makes me look washed out."

"You do realize she's part veela, right?" Remus pointed out, keep his voice down.

"What? _Really?"_ Tonks snorted.

"I pointed it out because I can see the look on your face." He said, pulling her closer to him by the hip. "And you _know_ she's going to make you jealous and upset. You're letting it consume you and take over your life."

"No, I'm not." She said confidently. "In fact, I'm thinking about other things."

"Like what?" Remus inquired.

"Well, I've decided I'm going to throw Fleur's baby shower." She told him. "The thing is, I don't know _how."_

"Why?" He wondered.

"What do you mean 'why'?" Tonks reached up, setting her chin on her husband's shoulder.

"Why do you want to do that?" Remus asked.

"Because I feel obligated as her... as her friend. Besides, she said she still wanted to make me godmother of the child."

Remus briskly pulled his foot back away from her and she pulled back "Careful..."

"Sorry! Sorry, love!" Tonks stammered, shuffling on her feet.

"You're fine." He sighed, smiling up at the ceiling. "I don't know why you wore those ridiculous shoes. Were you _made_ to wear them?"

She looked down at her feet. "What? They _look_ nice. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to step on your foot.

Remus shook his head at her in amusement. "You can't hardly walk in them."

"I'm sorry!" She said with a poorly-hidden smile, straightening her posture as they returned to dancing.

"I said you're fine, sweetheart." He assured, kissing her forehead. "Anyways, what were you saying?"

"Just that I think she'd appreciate it if I did something nice for her. It would be a gift to them." Tonks explained. "Is that bad?"

"Depends on your true motives, I suppose." He answered, carefully spinning her around.

"I'm not trying to be malicious if that's what you're insinuating."

"I didn't say you were." Remus countered. "But _really,_ you _are_ letting this consume you. You'll drive yourself mad if you spend every minute pouting."

"I'm _fine._ " She insisted adamantly.

"Then stop acting like you can't enjoy yourself." He told her sternly.

She was a bit taken aback, her eyes looking away from his, but he kept looking ahead at her. "You're right." Tonks nodded. "I'll... work harder on it. No more pouting. "

"I'm not saying you don't have perfectly reasonable to be upset, but you can't keep _them_ from being happy." He chided.

"I won't." Her head shook.

Remus was satisfied, glancing around. "Where's our son?"

Tonks's eyes scanned around the tent, the two pulling apart. "Found him." She sighed. Teddy's hair was a dark black, though it had been a bright blue through the wedding. It was almost regreattable, having a toddler as the ring barer, but he was so excited he (mostly) bought into the massive responsibility he had been given. It was beginning to get late and he was trying to not nod off to sleep in the lap of the groom as his parents approached the table. "I am _so sorry."_

Harry looked up at her, pressing his glasses up on his nose and smiling up at her. "Don't worry about it."

Teddy turned to his parents, squirming to jump down onto the floor. "Mummy! Daddy!" Tonks picked him up and the boy smiled, laying his head on her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, I turned my back on him for just a minute..." Remus frowned.

"He's fine, Professor." Ginny told him, the two standing to their feet. "Actually, Harry and I wanted to ask you something."

"Really?" Remus asked curiously.

"Well we... We planned to have a dance with Mrs. Weasley, but the thing about it was we couldn't because-" Harry paused, a disheartened expression on his face. As Remus stared at the young couple, he felt a strange sense of nostagia. The messy hair and lopsided glasses, the red hair and white bride's dress...

"We wanted it to be a surprise." Ginny threw in. "We wanted to know if Professor Lupin would fill in?"

"You want me to dance with you?" Remus asked surprised.

Ginny smiled, glancing over at her friend. "Is that alright?"

Tonks nudged her husband's arm pridefully. "Go on then."

His cheeks turned pink. "You really want me to join you?"

"Go on, you _have_ to go." Tonks urged

"Come _on_ , Professor," Ginny boltered, trying to take his hand. "Please?"

Remus looked over at Harry for his thoughts. The boy with bright green eyes and a lightening shaped scar on his forehead gave him a lopsided grin. "Couldn't think of anyone else to do it."


	43. Old and New Scars

Remus was laying across his wife's lap. Tonks's was gingerly brushing her fingers through his hair. She had figured out that he was comforted by it, though he wouldn't admit it. Teddy had sprawled out in the floor with a new wooden puzzle making up some story and babbbling to himself.

"He's got a big imagination." He commented, watching his son. "I have no idea what he's going on about, but it's imaginative."

Tonks laughed and slumped over, laying her head on her arm. The front of the Lupin's Christmas tree was marginally fuller with ornaments this year, but it was more that Remus had arranged the tree to look like it. Patches was sitting beneath it, his tail flicking and curiously batting at the lower branches to shake a particular ornament that sounded like it had a bell on it.

She reached over, picking up his hand and looking over it, rubbing circles over his knuckles. Over the past few months, new scars, cuts and sores imprinted on his joints. "You have to stop chewing on your fingers." Tonks mumbled, adjusting a bandaid on one of them. "They're getting stiff."

Remus yawned, taking his hand back and holding it on his chest. "Oh, I'm fine." He said heartily.

Tonks kissed his forehead. "It's going to hinder you. You won't be able to hold onto anything or pick up things or bend your fingers or write..." Her reprimanding seemed to be ignored, or at least acknowledged with vague comprehendence. "You keep saying you're getting old and you aren't doing yourself any favours."

"I'm not, I'll admit it."

She paused, her fingers twisting around his hair. "Am I going to have to buy you something to chew on?" Tonks asked, half-joking. "Happy Christmas, here's a dog toy."

"Haven't heard that one before." Remus snickered and sat up, patting her leg.

"Hang on," Tonks paused. "Are you being sarcastic?"

He laughed, shaking his head. " _Five years_ , Dora. _Five years_ of stocking stuffers."

"Oh my god..." She has a low sigh. She was impressed, however, you wasn't sure if it was a positive or negative thing. "Remus..." He simply laughed as she stared at him in awe. "Well, now I have _questions._ "

"Go ahead." He encouraged, leaning back on the sofa.

" _Who_ gave them to you? Did you _use_ them? Do you still have them? Do you _still_ _use_ _them?_ " Tonks stammered, but remained diligent in her demands.

"James and Sirius, naturally... I think I'll just say I believe the last of them were shredded to bits by the mysterious black dog that showed up and was the Gryffindor quidditch mascot for the last couple of years." He smiled.

Christmas day was a happy day for the most part. Remus and Tonks battled their way around each other in the kitchen trying to fix dinner and when Andromeda arrived, she seemed to only be stepping on more toes alongside her daughter. Harry and Ginny insisted on visiting for a bit as they came to deliver Teddy's Christmas present... a toy broom. Remus wasn't quite amused, watching in a quite distressed manner from the doorway as Harry attempted to give him lessons. A variety of Weasleys stopped by, exchanging presents and baked goods, as well as Molly who brought them their initialed sweaters. Remus's was a scarlet colour and Tonks was given a deep blue, while Teddy recieved his own dark green sweater and Andromeda had a scarf with multiple colours.

The sun was beginning to go down, but Andromeda was already asleep in an armchair. Andromeda was becoming more tired. Even as a younger woman than most grandmothers, a lifetime of stress and sorrow had seemed to age her in the same way it did for Remus, but without the harsh scars.

"Mum," Tonks said quietly, nudging her mother awake. Andromeda groaned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Can you stay up for a bit? Remus and I cleaned up, but we've got to go out for a bit."

"Hmm?" The woman yawned.

"You don't have to put Teddy to bed. He's had his bath, but if you can just keep an eye on him for a bit and keep him from winding up again."

"Of course." Andromeda nodded.

Remus was apprehensive as he put on his coat. Tonks walked over and put on her own from the rack, picking up their scarves. There was a silent tension as she wrapped his around his neck, giving him a quick kiss. The two walked out of the front door, stepping carefully over patches of ice and packed down footsteps in the snow.

Remus took his wife's hand and squeezed it. Her hands must've been cold, given all of the fingers of her gloves had bedn cut out. They ducked away from the light of the porch and the neighbour's houses, disappearing into thin air.

The small village wasn't busy with visiting family, or even with the people that lived there. Houses had Christmas lights hanging up and most of the windows were filled with a yellow glow. Tonks took a deep breath, looking around. "So... this is it, huh?" Remus stayed quiet and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to him. "Are you okay?" His head nodded.

There was only the sound of footsteps crunching on snow as they walked down the sidewalk. "Just past here." Remus gestured with a pained voice.

"Hey..." She mumbled, rubbing his arm to comfort him. "It's okay. I know it's hard, but it's going to okay."

They had to push through the gate into the graveyard. Tonks didn't know where she was going, but she didn't need much direction; footsteps indicated that others had been here today, even to the particular headstone they were headed to. She held onto her husband's arm and both felt they had weak knees the closer they got.

"I would have bought you flowers if we had time." She regretted, pulling out her wand. There was no way to flat out _create_ the flowers, but a quick charm did the trick of assembling some garland and red flowers. "I know you prefer buying flowers over just summoning something together."

"It's fine." Remus shook his head. "They wouldn't mind. This was overdue. I should have brought you here sooner."

Tonks thought quietly, putting away her wand and wrapping her arms around his. "Do you think James and Lily would've liked me?"

"Of course." Remus insisted without hesitation. "They would've loved to have you around. Now, Lily was a bit jealous, but she'd love the thought of having you around after a bit. And James-" His voice cut off.

Tonks had been struck with anguish at the thought. "Would I even be around if they were-"

"Of course you would." He interrupted. But then he began wondering. "Well, if they were alive, that would mean no Voldemort... No war, no Order, no Department of Mysteries..."

"No me." Tonks said, her tone weakening. "No Teddy."

"Well if they had survived and Voldemort died the first time..."

"It would still be Sirius not me. You know that." Tonks shook her head. "It's okay, Rem. I know that he meant-"

"You were still his cousin." He tried to justify. "There were other things going on before he died. Not that I'm making light of it or that I didn't... It could have happened. It might not be the happiest of endings but... Dora, there would no way for me to have the both of you-"

"It's okay." She assured. "I know. It's okay, I was just wondering what if we had all made it out together."

Remus paused, thinking. "There's no way it could be all of us... I wouldn't be able to have you and Teddy if Sirius was alive."

"Pettigrew would be here, too." She said, trying to change the subject to distract him.

"Only if Voldemort never existed. If he died during the first war, it would still mean Peter would have betrayed them. And if Peter had betrayed them, then Sirius would have been convicted. At least he would be... alive, but it would still be you or him." Remus closed his eyes, becoming overwhelmed with emotion.

"I'm not angry, Remus." She told him. "I know that's how things would have played out and it doesn't mean that I'm glad any of this happened."

"I... I never thought I would ever be lucky enough to have them. James... Lily... Peter and Sirius... I never thought I deserved them." Remus confessed, blinking his burning eyes, his throat choking up. "Then you and Teddy came along and... and I still don't think I deserve you."

Tonks kissed his cheek, burying her nose against his neck. "I never thought I'd be a mum until you came into my life. And you deserve us just as much as we deserve you."

"I'm sorry. I don't usually cry when I come here." Remus away from her, wiping his cheeks. "Don't know what came over me."

"You're fine." Tonks brought him closer for a hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you or resurface anything you had buried. I know you can't have all of us. And I know that hurts. But we can't change anything now."

"I know." He sniffled, burying his face in her shoulder. "I'm _so_ _lucky_ to have you. I don't think I would have made it this far without you. If you had died... if we had never met and I had lost everything else... Dora, I wouldn't have made it out of the battle."

"Don't say that." Tonks was crushing his ribs with her embrace and her husband ran his fingers through her hair. "Don't... I can't listen to you say that." She turned her head to look at the gravestone. "I... I'm not glad they died. If I could wish them to be here with us, I would in a heartbeat, even if it meant..." She stopped, pulling back slightly. "I'm so sorry, Remus. None of this should have happened."

"Is it bad?" He asked. "I could have been the secret keeper... I could have kept Sirius back at headquarters... I could have been a better friend to Peter... I could have-"

"It is not your fault you lost them. _Any_ of them." Tonks cut him off. "Do you hear me? You are such a wonderful person and it's _not your fault that any of this happened._ Shhhh... hey, there's no need to feel guilty about this, you didn't do this..."

The two stayed at the graveyard for a while before beginning their walk back to the house. "I'm sorry we had to meet like this." Tonks muttered as she shut the gate behind them, her fingers lingering against the fence.

Remus had gone and stayed quiet for a while, though he was no longer crying. "Thank you, Dora." He finally spoke up, burying his hands in his pockets. "For suggesting we come here and-" He stopped.

"I'm sorry I ruined this." She said dryly, turning to him.

"You didn't ruin anything." Remus told her. "I'm sorry that... that sometimes... sometimes I think I'm not thankful enough for the two of you. You and Teddy... and your mum, she's been there for me, too."

"I didn't mean to upset you." Tonks pulled herself away from the gate and kissed him, now clinging to his scarf as she pulled apart from him. "Christmas is almost over. We shouldn't spend what we time we have left crying."

He shook his head, putting on a smile. "No, we shouldn't." He kissed the top of her head, smoothing out her hair. "I'm thankful for one more year with you."


	44. Night Terrors

The living room had been shrouded with darkness. The sun wasn't coming up yet, but the blackness seemed to lift from the room, carved out with a hole the lamp in the living room made. It was an ungodly hour to be awake, even for the Lupins, who were usually up before the sun.

"Shh... it's okay. It's all over." Remus reassured, his wife rocking back and forth in his arms. Her crying had subsided, but there was an eerie rattling in her chest, making sharp inhales and exhales at an uneven pace. The two had shuffled in from the bedroom in hopes of muffling the sound from their son, who was keen on waking up at even the slightest peep from the bedroom nearby. "It's all over now."

"I thought they were getting better. I thought-" Tonks's eyes clouded up with tears, staring blankly at the wall.

"I know." Remus said, kissing her head, burying his nose in her hair, which had turned a bitter and angry black. His fingers clung onto her, almost too tightly for his likeing, but she sat willingly. "Look, I'm here with you. I'm right here."

"It felt so real..." She murmured. "It was like... I could _feel_ _it_ in my fingers..." Her hands clenched into fists, fingernails digging into the palms of her hands.

"Shh... you don't have to explain it." He pulled her closer in his lap, her legs draping over the side.

"It was... it..." She sounded more choked up and became unable to talk.

"Shh, shh, shh," Remus rubbed small circles on her cheek. "I'm right here... It's all over... It's okay..."

"You-" She wheezed. Tonks curled herself up closer to his chest, trying to make herself smaller to fit in his arms. His hand brushed back and forth over her leg. "You... you were..."

"Dora, I said it's okay. You don't have to tell me. _I understand_."

"You were _dead,_ Remus." Tonks groaned. "I... I saw your body... And Teddy, he-" She succumbed to her tears.

"Dora, it's all over with." A sick feeling bubbled up in his chest as he listened to his wife describe the dream. At first, she had awoken, clawing at his arm and babbling something frantically. She kept mentioning something about a dead body, hanging on tightly to his hand and refusing to let go until he got her to limp over to the couch to keep from waking Teddy up. "It's all over with. It was just a dream."

"I _saw it_..." She cried, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I was in front of this... _casket_ an-and Mum was there, she said I wasn't going to be fit to take Teddy back and she kept saying it _over_ and _over_ , that he'd have to find a better home. Remus, it felt so _real._ I _saw you._ _I was kissing you goodbye and-_ "

"Dora," His voice became firmer with her. "You need to stop, _please_. It's over with. I'm perfectly fine... It's all over with. You're just getting yourself more worked up about this."

Tonks coughed hard into her arm, pulling herself away from him. "I know, I _know..._ I'm sorry, I just..." She tried to pull herself off of him, but his hand stayed on her legs, keeping her planted on the spot. "I'm _fine."_

"I just meant-" He halted. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that... you have to stop making it worse for yourself. _I'm not dead,_ _you are not an incompetent parent_ _and_ _Teddy is staying right here_."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

" _Stop it."_ Remus urged. The realization of how harsh he sounded to her struck him and his voice became softer and more loving towards his wife, in a way that slowly eased her back down to a calmer trance. "Stop apologizing. You didn't do anything wrong, love. You had a nightmare. It happens to the best of us, doesn't it? It's all over now." Her head bobbed up and down with a sniffle. He grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and quickly tried to wipe away at her face, the corners of her mouth forcing a crinkled smile.

"You're so _gross._ We _have_ tissues. Now you have to wear my snot on your shirt, don't you?" She chuckled, clearing her eyes. "Is that just a guy thing? Just rub my nasty face all around on your clothes."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Besides, _wife,_ I think we've coughed on each other _at least_ a few times."

"And _yo_ _u_ were probably the one coughing, weren't you?" She shot back, crossing her arms with a playful expression.

He was humoured by her seemingly inability to receive gestures of kindness without countering with a joke. "I'm sure I'm immune to your of _girl germs_ by now. I think I'll be alright for a bit." He leaned over to kiss her, her nose further scrunching up and squashing her face. He laughed at the sour expression.

"Well, _maybe_ I don't want your... what did you say? Your _Boy germs._ " Tonks pronounced, turning her nose up dramatically. Remus pounced at the opportunity, squeezing at her sides, and forcing her to retreat into a collapse of half-hearted bubbly giggles as she swatted him away. She laid propped up on the couch trying to purse her lips together to hide her smile, her finger sternly pointed at him. "You, _Mister_ , are-"

"Are _what?"_ He asked, grabbing ahold of her waist and laying her out across the length of the sofa.

" _You_ -" She finally gave in, laughing and shaking her head. "I don't know how you put up with me, being such a bother."

"I don't, I just _pretend to."_ Remus teased, leaning over at kissing her. She clung onto the front of his shirt, pulling him fervidly closer to her chest. Pulling back, there was a lingering breathless stretch between the two. Tonks's eyes were still closed, but her eyebrows raised in curiously. "Dora-" He whispered.

"Hmm?"

"You aren't a bother to me." He said simply. "You're the most wonderful woman I've ever met and I'd stay up every night with you if I had to."

"Oh, shush." She paused for a moment, pulling him back to her to kiss him, gently biting his lip.


	45. Laundry Day

Teddy was proud of himself, standing in the living room and looking up to his father. The way he held his chin up was in an uncanny manner to his mother. His hair was a thick and curly brown like his father's, but was darker than his father and his own and was almost hanging over his eyes like his mother's tended to be.

"Now take these and give them to Mummy." Remus instructed, handing a few pairs of wadded up socks to his son from the pile of laundry sitting on his lap.

"Okay!" Teddy smiled, bouncing on his toes across the living room to his mother who was organizing the clothes into laundry baskets. They could have sorted through the dirty clothes in a quicker manner, but in trying to get an excited Teddy to help them or sit down instead of undoing their work, they had accidently developed a game of it. The boy skipped back and forth between his parents as Tonks sorted out the lights from the darks to be washed.

"Here, these are dark colours." Remus said, picking out several shirts and giving them to the toddler.

The boy smiled and trotted over to Tonks, who ruffled his hair and took over the shirts. She sighed, picking through them. "Hon, I think you need some glasses." Tonks frowned, resorting the clothing items for him.

"What? Those are darks!" Remus defended. "I'm _pretty sure_ those are darks!"

"Well that probably goes with the whites because of the pattern, so that's not even close... and that's got stripes and stripes stay with the light colours. Not even close on that one, love."

"But if you put that one with the whites, the print'll stain them." He explained

"But then the lights will stain the white fabric." She brought up.

"Then let's wash it separately." Remus sighed.

"That seems wasteful though, doesn't it? We're already washing our clothes the hard way." She mentioned, tossing clothes into their respective piles. "I mean, we have magic but still, using the sinks and all's going to drain our bank account."

"Not like we have the money for a washer, at least, and it'd still be costly." He said slightly irritated, looking around for his son in confusion. "Ted- Teddy?"

Tonks let out a bark of a laugh, jumping up onto her feet. "Teddy, no!" She hobbled over to him, hunched over in giggles.

Teddy was crouched in the middle on a pile of dark clothes. He had, on top of his head, one of his mother's bras. She laughed at the boy, leaning over him and shaking her head and suppressing her lively smile.

She quickly reached over and yanked it off of his head, leaning over him with her hands on her hips. "You're a silly boy, aren't you?"

He gave her a goofy grin in return, trying to cover his face with his hands. Teddy's hair flickered a deep violet colour in patches of his curls like his mother's, blending into his brown. "Mummy!"

"Teddy!" Tonks mimicked, brushing her hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. "Come here, you silly boy!" His mother scooped him up in a cradle hold, falling back into her nest of laundry with him across her lap, tickling his sides and stomach.

"Mummy!" He cackled.

Tonks pinched ahold of his cheeks, planting loving kisses all over his face which just made him laugh harder.

"I love you, you know that?" She whispered up against his ear before blowing a raspberry on the side of his head. Teddy playfully pushed her away by the nose.

"Yes!" Teddy replied as his mother smoothed out his hair with her fingers.

"And what do you say?" She coerced.

"I lub you too!" He replied cheerfully.

Tonks kissed his forehead, her hand rubbing his arm. "You're being a big help today for us." She assured,quickly shifting to tickle his sides.

"Mummy, no!" He squealed, his face twisting up in laughter. " _Muuuummmmy!"_ His nose wrinkled as he wiggled away from her grasp. "Daddy! Tell Mummy stooopppp!" Teddy whined, jumping up to stand on the couch cushion. His mother helped him jump down onto the floor and he ran away to his father, tackling him as he threw his arms around his father's neck.

"Ugh!" Remus smiled as he dramatically groaned, lying back on his arm as Teddy sat down on his chest. "You're getting big, aren't you?" He chuckled, pretending to go to tickle him. "Not going to be so little forever, are you?"

Teddy shook his head, readily sliding away from Remus's hand apprehensively. "No! I' big!"

"You are getting big, aren't you? Must be Grandma Weasley's fault." He remarked.

"No!" Teddy smiled in amusement, leaning his head back.

" _No?_ " Remus asked curiously. "No, what?"

"No!" The boy exclaimed happily, crawling off of his father and jumping up and down on his toes. "No no no!"

"What exactly are we 'no'ing?" Tonks asked and watched as the boy ran away to the kitchen.

"I'm not even sure he knows." Remus's head shook with a sigh. "I really don't."

She let out a brief laugh. "Ha! Really broadening his vocabulary, isn't he?"

"Uh, _no._ " He joked, sitting up and tossing a shirt to her, though it seemed to be more at her than anything.

"Hey!" Tonks exclaimed, catching it by leaning over the coffee table and tossing it into its respective pile. Teddy bounded around the corned, his beloved stuffed animal under his arm. He yawned and rubbed his face. "Someone looks sleepy. I think it's about naptime."

"No..." The boy grumbled.

"I can do it-" Tonks interjected.

Remus shook his head as he stood up, picking Teddy up and putting him on his hip. "Come on, let's just get you laid down for a bit."

"No!" He whined in a louder voice as the two trailed down the hall.

Tonks could hear him crying loudly as his father tried to get him to sleep. It was a little bit before Remus returned with a tired look on his face, holding a small grey elephant. "Go well?" She asked, begging to fold the clean laundry.

He sighed, sitting back down on the floor. "I think it's time for Howard to take a bath." He announced. "And hurry before Teddy wakes up."


	46. Amends

"Mum? It's me, Dora!" Tonks announced as she walked through the front door of her parent's house. It felt too empty, even with the furniture and pictures on the walls. No, it was like it was too _clean_. Ignoring the thin layer of dust that covered the cabinets and mantle piece, everything from the tea kettle to Teddy's toys had been meticulously organized or turned in just the right direction to give the illusion of orderliness. It looked like a doll house.

"Mum? Are you home?" She asked a second time, walking down the hall. Her fingers brushed over the doorknob of the coat closet. Tonks felt something eerily strange as she passed it, remembering how she had found herself hidden in it when death eaters came knocking. She had watched helplessly through the slated door as her father had been killed, her mother violently pressed for information.

"Dor-" A woman gasped, nearly dropping the contents of the grocery bag on her hip as the front door opened again. "I wasn't expecting you for another ten minutes."

"I came early." Tonks said simply.

"Clearly," Andromeda remarked, pushing past her to the kitchen. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry." Tonks said simply, following as her mother unpacked the few items she had purchased from the paper bag. "Are you doing alright?"

Her mother gave her both a head shake and a shrug. "I'm doing as well as I always am, Dora." Tonks stayed quiet. "How are you all doing?"

"I swear, Teddy's growing again. Remus is doing well, I think."

"You think?" Andromeda asked.

"I mean, he hasn't said otherwise." Tonks assured.

Her mother nodded, lowering her voice. "I hoped you knew, but, have you all talked about Teddy's birthday?"

"Yeah." She said curtly. "It's... it's killing him to think about it."

"That's what I expected to hear." Andromeda nodded. "How are you handling things?"

"Work's work. I'm glad I'm back at work, but I'm enjoying being at my desk again." Tonks explained. Her fingers were wandering curiously over different odds and ends on the counter top. "Mum, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes." She said firmly. "I'm just tired is all. Must be too old to put up with all this mess..."

"How can you be 'too old for this' but 'too young to be a grandmother'?" Tonks teased her mother, who got a short laugh from it. "It's Dad, isn't it?" She pried.

Her head tilted in thought. "Sort of."

"Then what is it?" The woman paused to listen to her daughter's question before continuing to silently put away her groceries. "Did... something happen? You're not angry with me, are you?"

"Your aunt is coming over for dinner."

"My... excuse me? You didn't- you never told me dad had other family." Her voice was naive, but at the same time, she felt as though as soon as she spoke, she was saying a lie.

The woman paused. "He doesn't."

"You're joking."

"I am not. And I'd like to tell you that you're invited as well."

"You aren't _actually_ being serious, are you?"

"I told you, I am."

"You're insane. I can't _believe_ you would even _consider-_ After _everything_ we've been though and you just-"

"Listen to me," She ordered. "I am trying to make amends with the family I have left. If you don't want to be apart of this, then don't."

" _Her_ _husband signed his name on the bloody bills that has made my life hell for the past three? Four years?"_

"I _know._ You don't have to remind me."

"D- Are you- Are you _insane?_ They're all deathea-"

" _Stop it_ , will you?" Andromeda growled, pushing past her daughter to the cabinet, where she began rearranging the contents.

"I _murdered_ her _sister_ and that's _all_ she'll ever see me as!" Tonks ranted. "You expect me to hold a civil conversation at the dinner table? About what? _Wow, am I sure interested in politics!_ She'll never see me as anything less that scum that betrayed their _stupid family_! How can you just _invite them into your house?_ They will never change their minds about any of us."

The woman turned to her daughter, pressing her finger against her chest. "You defended yourself while under an attack. You _never_ murdered anyone. I think the two of you would see eye-to-eye on some things."

"And they didn't do anything wrong

either, did they? They had _nothing_ to do with what happened to Dad."

" _Stop it, Dora._ "

"Forget it. Forget it. It doesn't matter does it? Because _clearly_ my family is _not as-"_

Neither seemed to move in the second the sound if skin hitting skin interrupted both of their thoughts. Neither seemed surprised.

"I'm sorry." Her mother finally said, her hands still hovering in the air around her face.

"No, you're fine." Tonks repiled, her fingers touching the ghost of a handprint on her cheek.

"No, I shouldn't have. I never should have- That wasn't right of me to do."

" _I_ was running my mouth." She mumbled. "Dad always warned me I was going to get slapped if I kept it up."

"It wasn't right of me to do then, and it's not right now." Her voice softened, looking over her daughter's face. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Tonks stated firmly.

"I'm sorry. I must be such an awful parent and saying that excuses nothing." Andromeda sighed, her heavily lidded eyes drooping with concern as she busied herself with some mundane task that averted her eyes away from her daughter's stare, like rearranging oranges in the basket or wiping down the counters with a rag. Her movements were vague and unsure, her hands aimless to their purpose. "But they're coming over whether or not you will."

"I-" Tonks wasn't quite sure what she she was saying or what she wanted to say. "How long have you two been...?"

"She sought me out a few months back. She was interested in you, actually." Andromeda confessed.

" _Of course_ she did-"

" _Dora..."_ She warned. "She wanted to hear what happened to us. _All_ of us. She knew something had happened to your father, but she wanted to know how the rest of us were holding up. She wanted to hear about you, and Teddy, of course."

"Two years too late, huh?"

"Better than never, I suppose." Andromeda shrugged thoughtfully.

"What time is she..." Tonks cut herself short. "...are _they_ coming over?"

"A couple of hours." Andromeda looked up slowly to her daughter. "Why, you aren't-"

"Okay." Tonks nodded, holding her hands up defensively. "We'll be here. Promise. Just... civil dinner conversation."


	47. Dinner Parties

Remus was astonished upon entering the bathroom to see a very unfamiliar Tonks, who was standing in front of the mirror. "Who are you and what did you do to my wife?"

"Hmm?" She asked, turning to him. She was nearly unrecognizable from her usual self. Her hair was warm, but almost black, long and pinned up on her head. Her eyes matched in colour, though more intense than usual. She had on a black dress and the absurdly tall (by her standards) shoes she wore to the wedding weeks back.

"Who died?" He asked hesitantly, walking over to her.

"No one." She replied simply and shook her head, fighting a pair of earrings in the holes.

"No one? Are you... going to something at work tonight?"

"No."

"Did Fleur ask you to go out or...?"

"What?" She asked, turning to him.

"I- well, where do I begin? The hair, the dress, the shoes, _lipstick_... and it's not even an unreasonable colour for you." He gestured up and down at her when she turned to look at him. "What? Don't tell me you've got a date, do you?" He said, half-kidding.

"Oh, of course." She remarked sarcastically. "I'm going to Mum's for dinner."

"Your mother's." He repeated bemused.

"Yep."

"And the outfit is for your mother?" He asked.

"No, it's for her sister,-" She couldn't being herself to say the name, pausing, before continuing to apply her make up.

"Narcissa is coming over for dinner?"

"Yes. She's bringing her family." Tonks huffed. "I think I'm just going to go early, make an appearance, help with cooking and leave. I can't stay through dessert and all that. Mum invited me and I-"

"Then why are you going at all?"

"Well, because I _have_ to."

"No you don't." Remus pointed out.

"Yes, I do." She defended.

"No, you _don't_."

"Yes, I..." Tonks sighed. "I can't be the coward here. If I don't go, I'm making a statement."

"You're not being a coward." He said softly.

"And you're not being a suck-up." She growled, frustrated. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just have some stuff on my mind right now with all this, and I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of them."

"That's _exactly_ what you're doing." Remus assured, reaching over the rub her back. "You realize you're giving them what they want, right? If you showed up with coloured hair and torn pants they'd remember who you _really_ are. If you're trying to piss them off, go with _that."_

She turned to face him, frowning. "That's the _thing._ That's all they've ever seen me as. That's all I'll ever be to them. I'm just some low-life, cheap punk who can't even bother to _get_ _dressed properly_. I don't _want_ them looking down their noses at me. I'm... I'm trying to impress them."

"You are now, are you?"

"Yes." She nodded slowly

"I can come with you, if you'd like."

"Stay here with Teddy, please."

"No, really, I want to come with you." He said lightly. "It wouldn't take but a minute for me to get dressed-"

"It's fine. Just... stay here with Teddy. _Please."_

"You're... you're embarrassed of me, aren't you?"

"No." She said quickly. "I'm _protecting_ you. _Both_ of you. Stay here. _P_ _lease._ It's not like it's that big of a deal."

"I can get someone to stay with him while we're gone."

"I can handle this. I _can_. I can do this on my own." Tonks reaffirmed.

"Do-"

She cut him off. "No. End of conversation."

It _wasn't_ the end of the conversation. By the time it was all said and done the two were on the verge of yelling at each other. There was no way in hell she was going to take him and no way in hell he was staying. He hadn't even _wanted_ to go. He assumed she was going off on some business some place or had been invited out with her friends, not to see her mother, but now he wanted to go just to spite her, proving her wrong. He _wasn't_ an embarassment and even if she didn't believe he was, he didn't understand.

 _Now_ she was angry, digging through his closet and stumbling around like a newborn deer while she was at it. Thankfully, he owned _something_ nice that she knew would be acceptable. If he was going to go out, she made sure he'd be annoyed by her pickiness. Likewise, he made sure to drag his feet best he could.

Then just when they were ready to walk out the door, they realized they didn't have a babysitter for Teddy. _Of course_ Bill and Fleur and Harry and Ginny were busy, on all nights. They considered asking Molly and Arthur until Tonks glanced at the clock and realized how late they were. Teddy was easy to subdue, though he wasn't as well dressed as his parents, up until his mother had to fight to get a knit cap on his head. Teddy was growing older and seemed to vaguely grasp the concept of and be aware of apperation. He could just close his eyes and he'd be at Nana's house! Hopefully the neighbours didn't catch on or ask questions when it was getting harder to hide their magic.

The front door of Andromeda Tonks's house was opened by an unfamiliar face this time. A tall, and almost lanky, blonde young man. "Hello?"

"Hello," Tonks smiled politely, shifting her weight as her son buried his face shyly in her shoulder. "We're a bit late, aren't we?"

Andromeda rushed over and the boy awkwardly shifted out of her way. Her tired frown lines were gone, replace with a bright white smile. She looked young again, and for a moment, the few grey hairs that freckled her thick curls vanished behind her lively appearance. "A bit?" She smiled. "Teddy give you a hard time? Don't just stand out in the cold."

"We're here now, aren't we?" Tonks laughed nervously as her mother snatched up the young boy. She met the eye of the blonde boy, but turned away as she stumbled over the treshold, her husband trying to steer her from falling into anything.

"Draco, it's good seeing you again." Remus gave him a brief nod.

"Likewise," He replied, shifting his feet. "Professor."

"I'm not a professor anymore, am I? Remus'll do."

"Oh, alright." Draco nodded eagerly, closing the door behind them. "Is that your son?"

"Dunno whose else he would be." Tonks tried to joke.

"Oh my goodness," A woman cooed. Tonks turned to the kitchen where a blonde woman was greeting her son and instinctively left to join them. She was more petite than her sister, with a sharper nose and smooth hair.

"Teddy, can you say hello?" Andromeda encouraged, but the ends of the boy's hair were a bashful plum colour and he stayed quiet.

"You must be... Dora, yes?" The woman turned to Tonks. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Cissy and... you don't have to call me 'Aunt' if you don't like."

"Oh, hello." She smiled, still keeping a watchful eye over her son.

"And your husband. Remus?" Narcissa asked.

Remus tried to politely act like he wasn't keeping his own watchful eye on his wife when he walked over. "I don't believe we've met either." Tonks watched, dazed at how polite her aunt was being _awfully_ nice as she shook their hands in a warm and welcoming manner.

"Mummy..." Teddy said in almost a whine, reaching for his mother, who quickly took him back into her arms.

"Well, we ought to sit down and eat." Andromeda pipped up. "No point in standing around here."

Dinner felt strange for everyone involved. The Malfoys felt as though there were uninvited guests clouding the air, but didn't say anything. The Lupins felt a mixture of anger and regret, swallowing the pride in what felt like a forced attempt to be humble as they disregarded all if their protocols on encountering death eaters. Andromeda was torn between two worlds, as if she was trying to merge together two separate lives. Conversation was as boring as possible as no one knew what their boundaries were. Was it impolite to ask about Draco's schooling and new job? Was it rude to ask Tonks about being an auror? How much was _too much_ to talk about when it came to Lucius's work? What was Remus up to now adays?

"I'll get the dishes." Tonks finally announced in an urgent tone as she slid her chair away from the table. "Remus, can you take Teddy? He's falling asleep on me."

"Of course." He replied and cradled the half-asleep toddler in his arm.

"I will help." Lucius announced, following behind Tonks with his own stack of dishes. It wasn't hard work to flick her want and have the dishes wash themselces, but her plan was to _escape_ conversation, not start it. "Nynphadora." He nodded briefly. To her, Tonks was convinced his gaunt cheekbones and sharp blue eyes made him look something like a rodent. Something bony and ugly with long blonde hair.

"No one calls me that." Tonks warned in a low voice that was almost drowned out by the chatter at the table. "Dora or Tonks."

"Right, yes," He had an almost smug tone in his voice that indicated his want to be anywhere else but helping _her_ with the dishes. "And I don't believe we've formally met yet."

"It's alright, Malfoy." She huffed. She was just running warm water over her hands to look like she was doing something.

"You've... changed since you were younger." He pointed out bluntly.

"Have I?" She shot back. "It must be my nose. I look a lot different when my nose isn't bleeding. Or maybe it was the black eye, I'm not sure. But my hand's all better, thanks for as-"

Anger glimpsed in hid eyes. "You know, I've been waiting all dinner to ask you where your Aunt Bella was."

"Hmm." She flashed him a smug smile, returning to the dishes in a helpless fashion. "Would you like to ask her? I can call the Ministry and they could take care of it for you."

"Oh, no, I believe I'll pass." He remarked.

"Well," She smiled. "Maybe I'll be lucky enough to never have to meet you again, Lucius."

"And the same to you, Nymphadora." He sneered.


	48. Victory

Tonks's hands had felt cold when her fingernails dug into her crossed arms, watching in insecurity. She had been pushed aside when the baby was first born, but she wasn't sure she minded all that much.

Despite the distance between the houses, people seemed to drift between the Burrow and Shell Cottage, faces coming and going in a blur. For now, however, people were scattered, the living room feeling empty with just the few residing there. Teddy, now proudly two years old, was sitting on his father's lap and "reading" a book to him, which was more of babbling about shapes and colours, though his father didn't mind. Remus would smile and encourage him, patting his back when he got things right and correcting him when he was wrong.

"Victoire." George mumbled aloud, sliding back on his seat on the sofa opposite the Lupins, his fingers holding onto a mug of tea between his knees. It was almost night time and people were beginning to wind down from the excitement.

"I think it's quite fitting. I mean, since that's the point..." Tonks sighed. shrugging her shoulders. "Not that Dominique would have been bad, but on all the days to have a kid..."

"Cat!" Teddy exclaimed, pointing to a picture on a page of the book and looking to Remus for approval.

"Yes that's right!" Remus laughed. His wife had noticed how tense he had become lately, causing what few, harsh wrinkles he had to crease and worsen. Teddy didn't know better, but he had missed his son's second birthday to a full moon. Even with Tonks suggesting they celebrate early, there was still a hole inside him that he had filled with guilt. Her arm was wrapped around his shoulder, fingers absent-mindedly playing with and twisting around the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Did you take a day to close the shop?" Tonks asked curiously. "Or is Lee managing today?"

George shook his head. He was quiet for a while, staring at his lap. "Profes- Lupin, can I ask you something?" He shook his head quickly. "Actually, just forget it."

"No, is something wrong? You can ask me something." Remus looked up at him with a worried expression.

The ginger boy shook his head again. "I'm just being selfish is all." He announced. He had begun to grow his hair out, similar to his two eldest brothers', but the cut was lopsided, longer on one side to hide the hole that was his ear, but the other side was not short enough to look like he had an intentionally styled haircut.

"Why do you say that?" Remus asked, his head tilted slightly, his hand brushing over the top of his son's head to shush him for a moment.

"I..." George's eyes wouldn't meet his. The more he talked, the angrier he became. "It's... Everyone seems so... happy, don't they? Like it's such a relief that she was born today of all days? I mean, yeah, people are happy, but it's like... it's like..."

Remus glanced over at Tonks, who had her eyebrows raised in thought. "You don't want the death of your brother to be replaced by the birth of your niece."

He looked shameful. "Yes."

"I don't think that's unreasonable." Tonks brought up, turning to her husband.

"Forget it; I don't even know why I'm bringing all of this up to you all in the first place." George sighed, propping himself up to leave.

"Now hang on just a second," Remus proposed and George lingered on the edge of his seat. "George, we're always here for you, you know that."

"Yeah." He admitted, avoiding the older man's eye.

"You're not being selfish, George." Tonks told him. "In fact, I'd say you're being brave in speaking up and not letting yourself be forgotten."

"Mum and Dad won't talk about him." He told them. "They won't say his name, they won't tell stories, they didn't even bring it up this morning."

"Maybe you can change that." The pink haired woman suggested. "The whole point in grieving is to remember the person's life, not shove them away like they were never there. Fred deserves better than that."

George tensed at the name. "It scares me sometimes. Sometimes I forget he's really dead. I _saw_ his body, yet I still feel so... lost. Like I'm still waiting for him to come home. It's so _stupid..."_

"Hey, hey, that's alright." Tonks tried to say lightly. "Don't get all worked up about this, that's perfectly normal. Just... remember that. You're meant to cherish your memories. I know it's scary trying to embrace them, but forgetting is the worst thing you can do."

"Do your parents know how you feel?" Remus asked, swaying a bit to rock Teddy, keeping him quiet.

"Probably not." George remarked. "They hardly seem to care."

"They don't think like that." Remus shook his head. He felt as though he was enabling his former student. "They probably just want to keep from offending you."

"I don't want to ruin this little girl's birthday." He confessed. "But I don't want people to forget about... about Fred."

"You aren't ruining anything." Tonks assured him. "What's the saying, 'death, babies, and taxes have no sense of time'? Something like that. This was merely a coincidence and it's no one's fault."

George gave a small laugh. "Mum says stuff like that all the time."

"I know they don't want too many people around the baby, but did you get a chance to see her?" Tonks asked.

"Only from across the room and through Perce's thick skull." He smiled.

"She's sure a sweet little thing." The woman smiled thoughtfully.

"I think we ought to begin to head home." Remus interjected. "Teddy needs to go to bed soon."

"What?" Tonks chuckled.

"And _y_ _ou_ don't need to be getting any ideas." Remus pointed his finger at his wife.


	49. The Most Terrible Twos

Tonks had just been packing up her things to leave when she heard a man with a distinct voice standing over her desk, his fingers grazing of a piece of paper.

"Evenin'."

She turned, looking up to him with a smile. "Oh good, you're back. I thought you were busy dying."

"Only a li'l." Dwight smiled, flashing his teeth with his usual engaging beam of happiness. "Did ya miss me?"

"Of course I did." She smiled, shaking her head at him. He could charm himself into or out of anything, she thought, and work was no exception. She couldn't be angry at him for leaving her alone, though she did miss his amiable, yet useless conversation. "You look good, though. _Completely healed_ , actually."

He touched the side of his head. He had taken a bunch of time off work, but looked as good as normal now without even a single bandage. "Oh, it was rough. Though' I was a goner."

"Mmhm. You poor thing. I was so sure the reaper was on his way for you. Good to see the- _valiant auror_ fight through death yet again." She shook her head, failing to hide her smile before letting out a laugh. "So they're starting you back on nights, huh?"

"For a bit, yeah." He shrugged, making his way back to his desk. He turned to his pinned up quidditch poster, staring thoughtfully, and tapping it with his finger. "Tol' ya they were gonna come back up eventually."

"Oh please, don't get your hopes up." She chuckled, standing up and trailing off into the offices. "There's still time before the World cup and they're _never_ gonna come back up in the ranks, but you keep telling yourself that."

He rolled his eyes and settled into his desk when she returned the stick her head in the door.

"And you can start with some of that paperwork in the corner." Tonks smiled in amusement. "What? You thought I was going to do the work _for_ you?"

"Oi! No need to rub it in!" He called after her as she left the Ministry to head home.

Teddy had be bawling at the top of his lungs for what felt like _hours_ , and this was beginning to become a more and more common occurrence in the household. Remus was drowning is stress from the child that now had a completely different personality from several months ago.

"Wotcher, hon!" A voice rang through the hall. "Remus?"

"In the kitchen!" He called back over the sound of Teddy's crying.

"What's wrong with him?" Tonks asked worridly, glancing over to her husband. The boy had slipped from Remus's desperate attempt to hold him up and was now completely face down in the floor, just laying there, screaming in tears with a beet red colour in his face and hair.

"You don't think I've asked him?" Remus demanded in frustration.

"Shh, hey, I don't need _you_ yelling, too." She reprimanded, turning to the child. "Teddy, what's wrong?" She asked in a soft motherly voice, kneeling down beside him.

"No!" Teddy cried, turning his face to her. His eyes were swollen with tears, snot running down his face with his tears.

"No? No what?" Tonks questioned, gently rubbing his head.

He squirmed. "Noooo!"

"Teddy, you have to tell me what's-"

 _"No!"_ He yelled.

She looked up at her husband sadly, fighting to pick the boy up. "Remus, he did have his afternoon nap earlier, didn't he?"

"He-" He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face, peaking out his fingers in disappointment.

"He didn't, did he?" Tonks sighed. Remus just shook his head. She scooped the boy up in her arms, cradling him against her chest and bouncing him gently. "Hey, Little Man, it's just Mummy, isn't it? Come on, you don't have to make such a fuss."

"No!" He whimpered, sniffling in tears.

"It's okay, sweetheart." She assured, gently rocking him. Her squirming son kicked and fought the whole way to the nursery. "It's okay, let's just sit down for a bit..."

"No!" Teddy shouted angrily at her, though he seemed easier to tame as he became more exhausted.

"Teddy, don't use that voice with me." Tonks warned, sitting in the rocking chair with him.

He kicked his feet angrily against the arm rest, still fidgeting and wriggling in her hold. "Nooooo..."

"Shhh. It's okay... it's okay..." Tonks murmured, gently rocking the chair.

He suddenly burst with frustration, balling up his small fist and swinging and her arm several times.

"Teddy, no. Do you want to go to time out?" Tonks demanded firmly. This provoked even more cries from him as he tried to do it again.

"No!"

"You know what then?" She huffed, standing right back up, which confused the boy and briefly stifled some of his tears in fear and confusion. Walking over to his crib, she laid Teddy down on his cot. "You better learn to settle yourself down then. We don't talk like that." Tonks shook her head.

"Mummy, no!" Teddy shouted, crawling up onto his knees and grabbing ahold of the crib bars.

"Teddy, I said you need to quiet down." She told him firmly. "We don't hit people."

"No!" He cried out dismally.

"Then I'll see when you wake up." His moty was already in the hallway, pulling to door to, fighting back the pit of guilt that was eating at her.

Remus was outside frowning, his arms folded over his chest. His wife's angry expression softened into sadness. "I'm terrible!" She said desperately in a harsh whisper.

"You are not." Remus sighed thoughtfully. "I cannot _believe_ I forgot his nap. I think I'm the terrible one, for _all_ of us..."

"I hate fussing at him." Tonks bit her lip anxiously. "He'll grow up hating me because I'm such a grumpy witch to him! I'll turn into my mother..."

"No, he _won't._ " Remus took a deep breath. "And your mother isn't _that_ terrible."

"So you're saying I _will_ be like her-"

"Dora, you did the right thing." Remus fussed. "He's not going to grow up and hate you. Just because you did something now that pisses him off now, doesn't mean he's going to hate you."

"I did?" She asked

Remus nodded and paused, listening for a moment. Eventually, the boy's frustrated cries became desperate whimpers and moans. "He's calming down. He'll wear himself out eventually and we'll give him a talk about listening to us." Tonks simply nodded quietly, falling into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "How was work?"

"Fine." She mumbled sadly, burying her face in his chest.

"Just fine?"

"Just fine." She repeated.

Remus thought for a moment, fixing his arms and hugging onto his wife tighter. "Are you alright?"

Her head bobbed up and down.

His lips pursed, trying to come up with something to say or do. "Why don't we fix ourselves something drink?l"

Her head tilted up curiously and she smiled weakly, her eyes closing as he came in to kiss her on the lips. She held onto his lips for a moment, her body tensing up and locking him in his place. His arms shifted to wrap around her shoulders in a teetering embrace before they pulled away. Tonks finally relaxed, her shoulders slumping. Remus had shifted his hand, cradling her cheek with it. Teddy was no longer crying and was now sound asleep.

She smiled with her eyes still closed, biting at her bottom lip. "A drink sounds lovely."


	50. Summer Nights

Tonks looked as if she was gliding around the kitchen, constantly moving as she worked around at least two different dishes, not counting the one on the side that was moving itself. Her husband could only watch with amusement, shaking his head as she fluttered around.

"Do you need hel-"

"No." She snapped. "I can handle it."

"Dora, Te-"

"It's _fine._ " She growled, speaking over Remus.

He quickly walked over to her, reaching down to pick up Teddy, who was immensely fascinated and at risk of being stepped on by his mother.

"Daddy!" Teddy whined, turning to his father. He was sporting a near violent lavender colour of hair, streaked with flecks of bright blues. He was getting more and more creative with his hair and had even tried playing with it to see what he could do (that was, of course, when he wasn't blatantly freaked out and sent into tears by staring in the mirror).

"Here, you can come watch from over here." Remus assured, standing where the boy could still see his mother without being trampled. Teddy turned to his father and smiled at him, before the man kissed the side of his head. It didn't take much more than his mother almost dropping a salt shaker for Teddy to become completely oblivious to everything around him. "Dora, are you alright?"

"Positive." Tonks declared.

Remus felt more worry now than before. "And the food is for...?"

"Us." She nodded swiftly, finally turning to meet her husband's eye. Her hair was a sickly stressed lemon colour, short on the sides and longer in the middle. "I promised you that I'd be the one to make dinner tonight because of how tired you've been, you know, with everything going on and-" Her ramblings were cut short when her foot caught on the rug in front of the oven, tripping her and causing her to stumble into the stove. Thankfully, neiter of the burners were lit or lit high enough to burn her, but the pan she was holding fell over and hit her arm on its violent fall past the oven and into the floor.

Tonks yelped in pain as she practically flew away from the scene, gripping at the back of her arm. The spoon that was stirring itself in a pan stopped, falling over lazily.

"Dora," Remus sighed, setting Teddy down and walking over to his wife. "I think you're being absolutely sweet, but dear god, can't you let me help?"

Things came to a halt and Tonks fell back into a chair at the kitchen table. A pink burn freckled down her forearm and her fist clenched, her other hand rubbing over her eyes. "I'm sorry..." She said quietly.

"Teddy, no," Remus had to drag the child away from wandering towards the stove while simultaneously grabbing his wand from his pocket. He flicked it over towards the medicine cabinet, but in his distraction, contents just tumbled out onto the cabinet.

"Remus, I'll get it-" He set Teddy down on her lap and she wrapped her arm around his middle to keep him from squirming. Remus was frantically trying to sift through a pile of bandages and bottles of medicinal potions. "You don't have-"

Remus returned with a wet washcloth. "Dora," He said softly, taking her hand hesitantly. "It's okay, just... hold still, this'll sting." His hand hovered over the injury, but didn't approach, watching her wince anxiously. As soon as the cloth touched her skin, the blister began healing itself, but Tonks's eyes were squeezed shut painfully and she let out a brief groan.

"Mummy?" Teddy asked, turning to his mother. She put on a smile for him and he buried his face in her chest comfortably. She touched the back of his head, chuckling.

"I'm okay, Baby. I'm all better now." Tonks said happily, taking over the washcloth from her husband, folding it over and over in her hand, patting it over the healing wound.

"Ah-Fuc-Shit-" Remus trailed off to the stove and aggressively trying to rescue dinner from already burning.

Tonks laughed, covering Teddy's ears. Teddy smiled and pulled at her hands. "I wan' hear the grown up talk!" He told her.

"No grown up talk for _you_ , Little Man." Tonks giggled, tickling the boy. He squealed with laughter, teetering on her leg before wobbling onto his feet and running over to inspect his father.

"Why?" Teddy asked excitedly.

"Because you're not a grown up." Remus explained.

"When will _I_ be grown up?"

"When you're..." He thought for a moment. "When we decide you're grown up enough."

"But that take _fo-ev-ur_..." Teddy enunciated, already distracted and trying to spin in circles.

Tonks glanced out the window. The sun was almost completely set outside. She stood up and walked over to the glass and just a bit later, Teddy ran over, hugging onto her leg. "Teddy, look," She picked him up, pointing outside. "do you see the fireflies?"

"Where?" He asked.

"Do you see the little yellow bug? See, there's one there." Tonks walked through the kitchen to the front door, opening it up to the porch. Teddy's eyes had grown wide and the two padded barefoot into the yard.

The boy gasped. "Fi'flies!" He exclaimed, looking around in amazement. Tonks laughed and watched as he ran around in circles, chasing after the insects, clapping his hands in an attempt to catch one. She caught on to the game and tried her luck at catching fireflies, but Teddy seemed disinterested until one landed on his arm, sending him nearly to tears until she blew it off his arm.

"Now, what are you two doing?" Remus asked, leaning against the side of the house.

"Come join us!" Tonks smiled. In the darkness, her hair had become a relaxed mauve colour while Teddy's became excited blue.

"I came to tell you that dinner is ready!" He called back.

"We'll be in, in a minute!"

Remus smiled and shook his head. Teddy tried for a bit longer to catch a firefly. Tonks retired to the porch to her husband, who had his wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, the two slowly rocking back and forth mindlessly as they waited for their son.

"I'm sorry I made you cook dinner." Tonks said sadly.

"Don't be." Remus shrugged.

"But I know this morning, you felt awful because of-"

"Dora, I can take care of one meal." He assured her, his nose brushing against the back of her ear. "You do plenty for me when I'm ill. Besides, I'm in much better spirits now."

She smiled faintly and reached up to brush a stray piece of hair back.

"I miss things like this." Remus sighed. "I don't want to miss seeing Teddy grow up because I'm ill all the time."

"You won't-"

"It's gotten worse." He said bluntly. "Haven't you noticed it lately?"

Tonks was quiet for a moment, lips pursed in thought. "Yeah." They went quiet, both unsure of what to say next. "I love you, Remus." She finally spoke up.

"I love you too, Dora." His arms squeezed tighter around her and his eyes closed briefly, taking her in. "More than you even know."


	51. Professor Lupin

Tonks's fingers held onto the granite countertops in thought. There was a hastened rise and fall of her chest in fear, her eyes scanning the tile flooring over and over. Was she hiding? Remus said they needed to talk about something and she was sure she knew what it was about. But _did_ she know?

There was a knock on the wooden door.

"Dora, honey? Are you alright?" Her husband asked through the locked door.

"Yea-" She cleared her throat. "Yeah, everything's fine! I'm just-"

"Are you sure? You don't sound well." Remus pointed out.

"Yeah!" She rushed to the door, opening it up to him with a smile. "Wotcher- Hi, hon."

"Hey..." Remus looked at her rather confused. "Do I need to leave you to...?"

"I just, um- I just wasn't feeling well all of a sudden. I think I'm coming down with a cold or something..." Tonks shook her head. "Or maybe it was just my breakfast not settling properly. Couldn't quite stay down. Nerves? I dunno."

"Are you feeling better then?" Remus asked worriedly.

"Yeah! Yeah, much better. All better!" She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek, but he flinched.

"I don't want _that_." He remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Tonks rolled her eyes, trying to make it past him. "Fine. The bathroom's all yours."

"Uh, actually, I wanted to talk about something." He said, touching the back of his neck.

"Oh, right, well let's..." Tonks walked over to the bed, sitting down and patting the spot beside her. "What's on your mind?"

"It's..." He sighed thoughtfully, draping his leg over the corner. "Something's come up. Professor McGonagall got ahold of me and... well, there was a little _accident_... and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is taking the next year off."

She seemed shocked. "Is he now?"

"I know that it's short notice, but... they offered me the job. Just temporary! Just for the year... but, uh, I knew I'd need to consult you first." Remus explained nervously.

Tonks took his hand, squeezing it. "That's... wonderful! Isn't it? You _loved_ teaching and the students loved having you. Come on, you really _have_ to accept!"

"I'd really like to..." He smiled. His delighted expression was almost goofy, like a small child's, but it quickly became serious. "I don't know though. It's Teddy."

"What about Teddy?" She shook her head.

"He's... I don't want to just _leave_ for ten months and only be home for Christmas. Teddy won't understand... besides, who'll take care of him?"

"Remus, I can see about cutting my hours back if you're working. I thin nk he's old enough he could come with me anyways." Tonks assured, an urgency in her voice. As excited as she was, however, there was a sinking feeling in her stomach. "We can figure this out. You can come home on weekends! Why not? Really, you _have_ to accept this offer."

"A bit insistant, aren't you?" He chuckled.

"I prefer to call it adamant persuasion." She tried to joke.

"I knew that I wanted a job eventually, but not that I'm being offered one, it's a bit daunting, if I'm being completely honest."

Tonks squeezed his hand again reassuringly, reach up with her other to brush his hair back and kiss him on the forehead. "We both know you'll do a wonderful job. Imagine... I know it's temporary, but if you can just get this job, it might be a stepping stone to something that... maybe you'll love it even more than you did before. Or not. Maybe you find out that you really like where you're at."

Remus thought for a minute. "What are your thoughts? I mean, how does this affect you?"

"Well..." She thought. "Teddy will have to stay with Mum, but she can handle that... I'll cut back on my hours a bit, I have some leeway there..."

"I'd never see you." Remus said sadly. "Or Teddy."

"Remus, it' just ten months." Tonks persuaded hopefully. "I am _so_ proud of you. You can't turn this down, really. You _know_ you'll regret it."

"I will, won't I...?" He sighed, patting the inside of her leg. "But what if students need me on the weekend? Or the breaks, how will I- I hadn't even thought about full moons yet... Snape's not there anymore, is he?" Remus was rambling a bit. " _The parents,_ they'd hate me, wouldn't they?"

"You'd do great and everything'll work itself out in the end. If not, I'll come up there myself to visit." Tonks declared.

"You would?"

"Of course I would. And you know I'd still be willing to make your potions or buy them for you, and the parents won't _hate_ you." She told him. "I know this could be scary, but you really ought to accept."

He thought for a moment, nodding. "You're right. I _should._ "

Tonks beamed, wrapping her arms around him tightly in a hug. "I'm so excited for you!"

"You're the best, Dora." He smiled, holding her tightly in his arms. "You know that, but I wouldn't be able to do all this without you."

"You don't give yourself enough credit." Tonks prodded him.

"And you don't give yourself enough either." Remus countered, kissing the end of her nose.

"Well, in that case, I'd say we're even." She smirked playfully. "And I love you, too."

She was distracted for now, but it seemed her idea had crumbled. With Remus still hesitant to work, knowing well he wanted to, she knew she had to keep quiet. That night at dinner, she had _planned_ on announcing the baby that would be due the following February. But for now, it was going to be her little secret.

 **AN: Hello, readers! Sorry for my wild update schedule. I didn't want there to be too much filler, while keeping from jumping around all over the place. I love hearing from you all, so feel free to leave a review! :)**


	52. Nap Time

"Hey, handsome." Tonks smiled as she walked into the kitchen, pecking her husband on his cheek as she walked by. He had papers and books spread out over half the kitchen table, scribbling down sheets of notes with a quill. "What've you got your nose in now?"

"Textbook work. The last teacher didn't have a plan made yet for this year, so I'm throwing something together last minute." Remus sighed, rereading his notes. His wife rested her chin in her head, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You?"

"Just got Teddy to lay down for a nap... _finally._ " She replied and shook her head.

He gave an amused chuckle, leaning back in his chair and stretching. "And how did that go?"

" 'Oh, what a happy baby', my _ass._ " Tonks rolled her eyes, walking around to sit on his lap. Remus wrapped his arm around her waist, but she squirmed away, trying to get her hands on his lesson plans. "Got anything in here about small demons? I think our kid may've been replaced with one..." Remus leaned foreward and kissed her forehead before she nudged him away. "Oh stop, I'm trying to read..."

He watched her carefully, leaning over her shoulder as she sifted through papers. "What are your thoughts?"

Her eyes scanned over the page. "I like it. Most of it... I am a bit, er... _curious_ though, about some of it." She said.

"Curious?" Remus asked.

"Well, let's think. Three years have graduated since the war, haven't they?" Tonks shook the paper, setting it down with a frown. "That leaves four years of upperclassmen. Four years of students that were there during the war. I'm not saying you ought to censor the content, but I'm looking over the lesson for the seventh years... You might want to just double check these. The hexes, the jinxes... These were the kids that were _there_ that night of the war. Even if they were too young, they had the Carrows teaching them that year."

"You have a point." He pursed his lips, crossing his arms in thought. "Okay, I'll look over it again. Make sure there's nothing too hands on with the jinxes."

She swayed her head. "Just don't... cross the fine line between the fact that these kids may have _used_ these hexes and have them used _against_ them and... the fact that they may be _eager_ to learn this stuff-out of fear of being unable to defend themselves."

"They may want to over protect themselves because they are afraid they'll be covered up to the point they won't be able to do anything." Remus nodded. "They remember what happened to Cedric."

"Right." Tonks nodded.

He sat quietly in thought for a moment. "Okay. I'll go back and revise it."

She smiled and turned to him, kissing the end of his nose as she slid off his lap. "Just be careful with them. They're just kids. Remember that."

"Maybe I could open my doors for students that need to talk." Remus said lightly. "I could do that for a start, couldn't I?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Tonks encouraged. He returned to his lessons, but was quickly interrupted again. "Teddy!"

"Mummy!" The little boy exclaimed happily.

"How did you-" She let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples.

Remus tried to hide his smile as he jumped up, walking over to see his son, free from the entrapment of his crib and the spells they thought they had put up to prevent his escapes. "Young man, what are you doing up?" He asked, kneeling down in front of the boy.

Teddy gave him a tired, goofy smile, his light brown hair still ruffled from his mother trying to get him to lay still long enough to fall asleep. "Coo'dn't sleep!" He exclaimed, giving a small jump.

Remus shook his head in disappointment as he got to his feet. "Come on. It's nap time."

"But I don't _wanna..."_ Teddy whined and tossed his head back.

"Well that's just too bad." Remus replied, picking the boy up. He became a dead weight in his arms, trying to lean back away from him.

"I don't _want to..._ " Teddy continued to complain.

Remus briefly rolled his eyes over at his wife as he carried the child back to the nursery. "You have to learn to behave, Teddy. Especially for your mother."

"Why?" The boy asked as he laid down on the bed.

"Because... Well, I'm going away for a little while." His father told him.

"Why?" The boy wondered.

"Because I have a job now."

"Why?"

"I was asked to go work. And I said yes." Remus explained, tucking him in.

"Are you going to fight the bad guys?" Teddy asked excitedly.

He chuckled. "No, _Mummy_ fights bad guys. Daddy is going to be a teacher."

"Te'sher?" Teddy yawned.

"Mmhm. I get to help kids-bigger kids-learn how to do new things. You'll get to go to school someday when you're big enough." Remus planted a kiss on Teddy's forehead. "I won't be gone long though."

"How long?"

"Just a few months. And I'll come visit you and Mummy all the time."

"Really?" Teddy's face lit up.

"Of course I will!" Remus told him. "Now, you need to go to sleep for a bit."

"I can't." He said adamantly.

"Just try closing your eyes and being _very_ quiet and still." His father explained softly.

"Why?"

"It'll help you fall asleep."

"No..." Teddy did as he was told, but persistently fought off sleep.

"Yes..."

"I don't _wanna..."_

"I know," Remus assured. "But you have to take a nap."

"Why?"

"Because you need your energy." Remus was already making his way to the door and the boy was dozing off.

"Why?"

"So you can play later."

"But I wanna play _now..._ " Teddy whined as he began to doze off.

His father smiled, shutting the door. "Goodnight, Teddy Bear."


	53. The Legend of The Marauders

With school starting on the first of September, Remus was scheduled to leave the day before to prepare for the students' arrival. Tonks had flirted with the idea of a going away party, despite his resilient disapproval of the idea. She had hoped that it would give her the opportunity to announce her pregnancy without making such a deal of it and putting him in a spot where he couldn't back out of leaving work because of the baby. She was becoming more and more anxious, knowing she couldn't tell him early, else he back out, but getting pregnant that May made it increasingly more difficult to hide it come August. Thankfully, she had lucked out with this baby and was given a lessened sentence of morning sickness, perhaps as a universal apology.

But now, instead of party planning, shewas slouched in a stuffed armchair in her husband's new office, watching carefully as he unpacked his clothes and hung them in his closet. In her lap was a folded piece of parchment, her fingers playing with the edges. Teddy had been whisked away for the day by his godparents, who had insisted they wanted to take him to spend the day at the zoo. Both of his parents were hesitant to let them go, but in the end, decided that letting Teddy have a day out wouldn't be so bad. But as Tonks was leaving to drop Teddy off, heading her last warnings about letting him roam and how he _must_ keep his hat on, Harry slipped her what she thought was a note, insisting " _Remus would want it back before school started_ ".

She stared out the large window that overlooked the grounds by Hagrid's hut. The "note" had turned out to be a blank piece of parchment that Harry found so very important that she have to give to him. Tonks was embarrassed to show her husband, who (as she expected) laughed when she explained the predicament.

"Come on," She urged. "What's the joke? I don't get it."

"It's just that..." Remus gave an amused laugh and held out his hand to take it from her. "I'll take it. Don't worry about it."

"No, what is it?" She asked, flipping through its pages and folds once more.

"Dora, it's nothing, I promise." Remus chuckled. "No, I want to see what the hell it is!" She insisted, not furiously, but adamantly. "You aren't going to like what you see." He warned. " _Dora..._ "

In an annoyed pout, his wife drew out her wand from her pocket, pointing it at the parchment. "Revelio." Tonks said firmly, almost with a smirk.

"No, no, no, _wait_ -"

"I'm going to _read it."_

Remus watched in defeat, leaning up against his desk. Splatters of ink began to pop up on the paper, the amused expression leaking onto his own face.

"Well go on then." He insisted. "Read it aloud."

"Maybe I _will_." She shot back. " 'Messers... _Moony_ , _Wormtail_ , _Padfoot_ , and Prongs offer their most sincere compliments as they congratulate Miss Senior Auror Nymphadora Tonks on her ability to use a charm taught to second years'."

Remus let out a burst of laughter, though his wife was not as joyful, heavily enunciating the nicknames as she read them off.

"Oh that's very clever, isn't it?" She said bluntly. "You and your little band of buddies come up with this all on your own?"

"It keeps going..." He told her, covering his mouth with his hand.

" ' _Mr. Prongs_ would like to compliment Mrs. Tonks on her innate ability to figure out only the most difficult of puzzles, looming under her grotesquely pointed nose'." Tonks read, touching her nose insecurely. Remus hadn't meant to laugh, and despite trying his best to hide it, he couldn't restrain himself. He had never imagined finding himself in this situation but now that it occured, all he could do was laugh nervously and watch as his wife's expression became more and more sour. " '... _Mr. Padfoot_ would also like to compliment Mrs. Tonks on her beautifully uneven haircut, and that no, its nauseating purple bruise colour doesn't make her skin more resemble that of the flesh of a ghoul'. Now that one sounds about right..." Her eyes cut up at her husband whose chest was rising and falling rapidly in fearful laughter.

She continued to read. " ' _Mr. Wormtail_ bids Mrs. Tonks a good day, though perhaps she would be better off if she learned how to not be so hard headed and perhaps considered losing a few pounds.' Well that one doesn't hurt that bad, given who it's from, but let's see what Mr. _Moony_ has to say, why don't we? He seems to be _a bit quiet_..."

Remus's eyes went wide with surprise and sympathy, his laughter stifling behind his hand.

" 'Mr. Moony would finally like to add upon his companion's observation that Mrs. Tonks ought to learn to not be so stubborn, else she finds herself under unwanted circumstances, and bids her a good day'." Tonks finished reading aloud. "What I'd like to know, however, is what's going through the mind of Mr. Moony now."

Remus stayed quiet for a moment, thinking up a response. "Well... He's _certainly surprised_ you knew so little of the map... as well as absolutely _horrified_ , by the reaction displayed by his former friends.""And does Mr. Moony agree with Mr. Wormtail that I ought to lose a few-"

"Dora, honestly, it insults anyone who opens it incorrectly." Remus cut her off quickly, rambling anxiously. "No, Darling, you look _fine._ We were what... fifteen at the time? We thought that the three things girls were insecure about were their weight, their hair, and their noses, so we made sure to insult them based on that. It wasn't meant to be taken _personally_. Hell, I'm sure the only person who never would've gotten picked on was _Lily goddamn Evans_ and _she_ -"

"Remus," Tonks stopped him. "I'm not _angry_ , this is bloody _brilliant!"_ A smile came up on her face and she shook her head. "So it says it's a map, is it? So it _has_ to do more than just that?" She wondered curiously.

"Well, of course..." Remus walked over to her and sat down on the arm of the chair. He drew out his own wand, pointing it at the paper. " _I solemnly swear that I am up to no good._ "

Ink bubbled up on the pages, reading out,

 **"Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs**

 **are Proud to Present**

 **The Marauder's Map."**

Tonks shook her head, still smiling in fascination. " ' _The Marauder's Map_ '?"

He opened up the cover of the map, flipping through and showing her the different teachers in their offices. Footsteps trailed along the halls with labels like " _Argus Filch"_ and " _Minerva McGonagall"._ In the Divination tower, " _Sybil Trelawany"_ paced hurriedly in a zig-zag pattern and in the dungeons, " _Horace Slughorn_ " tapped nervously at his desk. Then, in the Defense against the Dark Arts Office, " _Remus Lupin_ " and " _Nymphadora Tonks_ _-Lupin_ " were perched next to each other in an arm chair."It shows where everyone in the castle is at that exact moment." He explained.

"You're joking, aren't you?" She asked. "This is _insane_... _fifteen_... you know, I've heard things from Sirius and all but... _wow_." Tonks turned to her husband in awe. "How did you all _do that_?"

"Now that's a secret." He smiled, kissing the top of her head. " _Mischief managed_." Remus mumbled, closing the map and folding it up to stuff into his shirt pocket as he stood up, strolling back to his desk.

"Oh _really_?" She asked, raising her eyebrows in thought. "Was that some sort of _secret pact_ you made with the boys?"

"Oh, _of course_." He laughed, his eyebrows coming together insecurely, his cheeks growing warm with embarassment.

"I'm honestly _impressed._ Bloody _proud_ , you hear?" She told him. "Come on, this is all plain _genius!_ "

"It was... childish, at the time, I think." He remarked.

"I _love_ it." Tonks expressed. "Now what was that statement? 'I solemnly swear-'"

"'-that I am up to no good'." Remus nodded, still avoiding her eye.

"And look at you now! All grown up and ready teach those young brats to be just as mischievous." She teased. "You really don't give yourself enough credit for what it's worth."

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without them." He sighed.

"And they wouldn't have been able to do it without you." She coaxed. Tonks got up to her feet, making her way over to him and wrapping her arms lovingly around his middle. He put his arm around her, rubbing her back.

"I don't see how you're wearing that heavy sweater. It's _August_ , woman." Remus teased. Sure enough, her cheeks _were_ a clammy pink and she _was_ dizzy and stumbling, but she ignored it, further burying her face in his shirt.

"I'm _so_ proud of you." Tonks mumbled after a while.


	54. Strange Habits

Tonks closed the front door behind her, her toddler son squealing in excitement and running over towards her. "Hi, honey!" She scooped Teddy up in her arms with a slight strain and planting kisses all over the giggling boy's face. Teddy's laughter echoed through the house, his hair turning a bright, bubblegum pink like his mother's current colour.

"Don't worry about it." Remus assured, walking over to her. She smiled weakly, kissing him as well.

"Ewww!" Teddy frowned, playfully patting his hand on his mother's cheek to pull her away from his father. Tonks turned to Teddy, poking her tongue out at him, causing more giggles. "Did you miss me?"

"I did!" She smiled, tickling his sides, causing him to kick his feet around. Remus reached towards his wife's waist, but she winced, pulling back from his reach nervously. He took the toddler from her arms. "So how are my favourite boys this morning? Did you two have a decent night?"

"Very busy." Remus sighed, turning to his son. "But we slept the whole night once we got laid down, didn't we?" He grinned at the boy. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, of course. Always is." Tonks said dryly, wrinkling her nose as she set Teddy down. "Did you make scrambled eggs for breakfast?"

"I did. Why?" Remus asked curiously.

"Smells _burnt_ or something, I dunno..." She mumbled, stepping around him as she went to open a window over the sink. There was still an awkward tension from her yanking away from his hug. "Sorry..."

"So how was work?" Remus asked quietly.

"Fine, as usual, I suppose." Tonks sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "I'd eat, but I am just _so_ tired, I almost fell asleep at my desk..."

"That's fine, love, just make sure you eat something when you get up, you hear?" Remus shook his head at Teddy, fixing him on his hip. "Were you caught up on paperwork again? What's up with your schedule and them putting you on nights? They're going to work you to death..."

"Sort of... it's just short staffed right now, but it's alright though." She nodded. Her hand reached up to rub her temples, her feet swaying for a brief moment as fatigue caught up to her, as if she'd fall asleep standing up.

"On nights?"

"Well, they still need aurors at night." Tonks said quickly.

"How are the missions?" Remus asked.

"Did you get the bad guys?" Teddy asked excitedly.

"No, no bad guys this time." His mother smiled. "Things are just slow right now."

"Do you... want me to make some coffee?"

"That's the last thing I need." She sighed.

Tonks trailed off towards their bedroom and he followed behind her. She rushed to undress from her work clothes and pile back on pajamas, burying herself under the covers of the bed.

Remus set Teddy down on the mattress and the boy crawled across the bed over to his mother. "You're sure you're feeling well?" Remus asked. "You look rather pale."

"Tired." Tonks yawned, petting the boy's head.

"Mummy, why are you going to bed?" Teddy asked curiously, plopping down beside her with a bounce.

"I just need to shut my eyes..." She mumbled as she did so.

"Why?" He asked.

"I didn't sleep last night." Tonks explained.

"Come on," Remus coaxed as he helped his son down onto the floor. "Let's let Mummy rest."

"G'Night, Mummy!" Teddy turned, quickly kissing his mother before hopping down.

Tonks dozed off into a deep, dreamless sleep for the majority of the day. Remus had come in and blacked out the windows with the curtains. She came in and out of her sleep throughout the day. At one point, Teddy came running in, trying to wake her up by yelling and jumping up and down until his father dragged him back out.

She finally pulled herself out of bed at an ungodly and unknown hour, disheveled and still in her pajamas, a terrible hunger pulling at her stomach. Tonks trodded down the hall, afternoon sunlight breaking through the blinds.

"Morning, Sunshine." Remus greeted as he looked up from a book he was reading from the couch.

"What _time_ is it?" Tonks groaned, rubbing her eyes as she disappeared into the kitchen. "Where's Teddy?"

"Right here, Mummy!" Teddy exclaimed, looking up eagarly from a pile of toys he was playing in. "Can you play now?"

"In a minute, sweetheart!" She called, digging around the kitchen for food.

Remus slammed his book closed, jumping up to check on his wife. Teddy stayed behind, plopping back down on his spot. "Dora, I can- what _are_ you eating?" He frowned, more baffled in what she was making for herself.

"What?" Tonks shrugged, looking down at the sandwich she was fixing. "I'm hungry."

"But what _is_ that?" He asked in absolute shock.

"It's a sandwich...?" She remarked, taking a bite innocently. Technically speaking, sure, it was a sandwich, containing what appeared to be pickles, mustard, cheese, and peanut butter.

"How is that even _appealing_ to you?" He demanded.

"I'm... hungry? I dunno, I grabbed the first things I saw that looked good, thought I'd try something _different_ for a change." She defended.

He shook his head with wide eyes. "What are you- you- _Dora..._ that's not real food."

"Yes it is." Tonks said, still half-groggy. Sleepless dark circles surrounded her eyes under smeared mascara from the night before that made her look similar to a racoon.

Remus let out a sour laugh, rubbing his forehead. "You must be _really_ behind on your sleep to be _that_ hungry. When you were _pregnant_ , I don't think you ate anything _that_ weird." Tonks let out a snort, taking another bite, despite his teasing. "Is is at least _decent_?"

"Mmhm." Tonks nodded seriously as she continued to hastily eat.

"Well, don't _choke_ on it, if you're going to _inhale it,_ Merlin's beard." Remus laughed nervously, still fixated on her meal confusion. "I don't even know what to call _that_."

"I's a sandwich." Tonks told him bluntly, still aggressively chewing large mouthfuls of food. "You put the things between the bread and it makes a sandwich."

" _That_ is not how you make a sandwich." He continued to shake his head at her in bewilderment. " _That_ is how you eat after someone's _poisoned_ you and you're trying to get it out before you _die_ , for crying out loud, _that_ is an insult to anything you _would_ calla sandwich."

Thinking for a moment, Tonks almost spat out her food in laughter, using her free hand to cover her mouth. "Or maybe I _am_ pregnant" She rolled her eyes in amusement. "What'd you think of that?"

Remus let out a laugh. "Oh, _right._ "

"No, really," She swallowed, shaking her head. "Seriously."

"You're not _pregnant,_ you-" The sureness of his voice died back as a deep set fear settled in his stomach. "You're not _pregnant_ , are you? Dora, I'm being serious here, I'm _leaving_ in a few days. If you are- I had no idea- what- What if-"

Tonks raised her eyebrows. "Well what if I _am?_ "

Remus paused in complete silence for a moment. " _You_ \- I was _joking_ about the sandwich; it's _disgusting_ , but I didn't mean it seriously." He began to stammer, his words making less and less sense, running together with anxious laughs. "I mean, you-no, you're _not_ \- you _couldn't be-_ "

She brushed her hands on her pajama pants. "Well, I suppose this your surprise." Tonks turned up to him in a kinder expression, however tired she looked. "I mean, I was going to have to tell you _eventually_ ; I was getting too far along..."

Remus stood, absolutely dumbfounded, and grabbing onto the counter for support. "You... you're _joking_...I swear, you've got to be _kidding_..."

His wife shook her head, balling up the paper napkin she had used to hold the mild atrocity that was her lunch and throwing it away. Still humored with him, she pressed a kiss against his cheek as she passed by him to check on Teddy. "And _I_ solemnly swear that I'm not." She remarked, her eyes glittering happily.


	55. Lone Road Ahead

"You're sure you have everything?" Tonks asked in a worried voice, nervously fixing Remus's coat. Her eyes glanced down at the suitcase by his feet as Patches wandered through the living room, brushing up against the corner of it.

"I'm fairly certain." He said lightly, smiling. He reached up and held her hands against his chest. "I already have all of the books there and if I'm missing any of my clothes, I'll be back in a few days anyways."

"More like a week, so I hope you have enough clothes, which I'm sure you do, but..." She sighed, cutting herself off from rambling in stress.

Remus squeezed her hands. "Dora, you know I'll be fine. I promise. I can take of myself."

"Daddy," Teddy asked, wandering over to his parents. "How long-how-how long will you be gone?"

Remus turned, letting go of his wife, and kneeling down beside the boy. "Well, I won't be home this weekend, but I will next weekend. A week and two days to be exact."

The boy thought about it, not quite comprehending it, but knowing it meant a _very_ long time. "That's _forever_!"

Remus smiled. "It's just nine days. I'll be home as fast as I can."

"And you'll write us, won't you?" Tonks asked. She fiddled aimlessly with her shirt, tucking and readjusting it nervously.

"Once a week." Remus stood up, nodding in affirmation. He leaned forward to brush her bangs out of her eyes and kissed her forehead. Today, her hair was a strange, anxious brown. Pausing, his hand hovering over her face. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Tonks nodded, closing her eyes. "Oh, don't worry 'bout me." She said dryly.

"Hmm?" He frowned. His expression creased in a similar worrried fashion, taking her hand.

Tonks's eyes darting away from his, sighing, and suddenly aware of her stumbling expression. "It's nothing." But she was unconvincing.

" _Dora_..." He urged.

" _Remus..._ " She shot back. "I just don't feel well is all."

"Why?" He pestered. "Are you worried about something? I would like to know what you're upset about. I don't want to leave if you're worrying yourself sick-"

"It's fine, I'm just not feeling great." Tonks attested.

"Nothing is wrong?"

"Nothing." Tonks repeated, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you with _my_ worrying, now we'll all be a mess..."

Remus shook his head. "Don't be. Just... I'm sorry for asking. I didn't mean to be annoying, I just wanted to know what's wrong."

"I'm just not feeling well." She said simply.

He reached out to touch her forehead and she didn't flinch. "You're _sure_ nothing is on your mind?"

"I _told_ you. Why you won't just drop it-"

"You just have that... _look_ , alright? Is it because I'm leaving? Is that what's wrong? Is it..." Remus trailed off slowly. "Dora, if you don't want me to leave-"

"Remus, stop looking at me like that! I _told you,_ I'm _not_ upset. Okay? I can take care of myself _and_ Teddy _and_ -"

"Dora, if you're worried about staying here alone, I want to know, because-"

"Daddy," Teddy chimed in, grabbing onto his father's leg.

"Teddy, honey, why don't you go on? I'll help you brush your teeth in just a minute." Tonks coaxed. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Are you fighting?" Teddy asked, tilting his head curiously.

"No, Teddy, we aren't fighting." Remus said calmly.

Tonks closed her eyes in frustration. "I'm sorry. Can we drop this? I didn't mean to upset you."

He nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. " _I'm_ sorry, and _I_ didn't mean to upset _you._ I'm only worried about you and-and I didn't want to leave you stressed like this."

She nodded, putting on a smile. Tonks leaned over to wrap her arms around her husband, nuzzling his neck with her nose. "Don't let this bother you, you hear? You've got more important things for you to focus on."

Remus kissed her head again. "Promise you're not going to make yourself sick? You'll be great with Teddy on your own."

"Promise." She nodded, gently shoving him off of her. "Now go on! You have to go get ready for classes tomorrow!" She smiled as her husband kissed the end of her nose.

"I'll see you next week, alright?" He assured her.

"Next week." She repeated, insecurely crossing her arms.

"And I'll see you next week too." Remus said, ruffling Teddy's hair.

"Bye bye, Daddy!" Teddy grinned, happily waving his hand, his hair twinkling a bright turquoise.

"Bye bye, Teddy Bear." Remus mimicked his wave and picking up his suitcase with the other. "Be good for your mother, won't you?"

"Yes, Sir!" Teddy giggled.

"And you get to feeling better?" Remus nodded to his wife, wrapping his hand around hers and pressing the back of his hand gently against her stomach when he went to hug her.

"I'll try." She said as she walked him outside, her hand still clinging to the bottom of her shirt.

"You're seeing that... doctor, aren't you?" He asked quietly. "The muggle one?"

She nodded. "In a couple of days. Fleur said she would go with me, but we'll see how that goes."

Remus stood under the porch light, staring at the ground, unsure. "Let me know exactly what happens as soon as you can, alright?"

"I will, I will..." Tonks sighed.

"I just don't want to... to..." His voice grew distant.

"We'll be okay. I promise. Everything's going to be okay this time." She adamantly reminded him. "We'll make this work out. We _will_ work this out, no matter what happens."

"If it isn't, I need to know." Remus said firmly. "You have to tell me. Do not keep this stuff from me, I-"

"I will make sure you don't miss anything." Tonks stopped at the top of the steps, leaning against the banister. "And I love you."

"I love you too, Dora." Remus smiled weakly as he turned back towards her, disappearing into the dark.

Teddy was waiting inside the door when Tonks went back inside. He looked at his mother with a smile. "Mummy, are you in charge now?"

She was taken back at first, hearing what he said, but then felt guilty. Tonks knew she had been distant with work, but she felt awful, thinking her own child didn't see her as much of an authority figure. She took a deep breath, nodding. "Yes, of course I am."

"Do I still have to brush my teeth now?" He wondered, pouting slightly.

"Yes, you do, and you better hurry or we won't have time to read before bed!" She chuckled, reaching after him, tickling his sides. Disappointment disappeared from his face, before playfully running away towards the bathroom with bright turquoise hair.


	56. A New Friend

Teddy seemed to be a very intuitive little boy, always listening in on people and picking up what they were saying, but he didn't always understand what they were saying. As of now, he could pick up that something was wrong with the new baby, Victoire, as Grandma Weasley and Aunt Fleur had been fussing over.

He was standing on a box that had been sitting behind the sofa that let him see over the back of it. "What's _wrong_ with her?" Teddy asked curiously, finally posing the question in his almost slurred little voice.

"Teddy, don't stand on that." Mrs. Weasley told him, pointing her finger in a commanding manner towards him.

Victoire had been crying what seemed like nonstop since she arrived with her mother, whining and whimpering.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked again as he climbed down from his perch.

"I do not know." Fleur sighed. Becoming a parent seemed to have sucked the life out of her and since, had almost a completely different demeanor to her. Fleur didn't wear tired eye bags well, and no amoumt of Veela charm could completely hide the traces that being pregnant had left on her, aging her over the last year. Not that she ever could ever manage to look _ugly_ necessarily, but compared to her drained demeanor, Bill had seemed to be more natural at becoming a parent, sliding into it surprisingly naturally with the exact opposite of a result. "She 'az been abzolutely inconsolable lately. She _will_ _not_ sleep at night and I do not know what to do!"

"My mummy might know what to do." Teddy said proudly, walking around and sitting down next to the woman and the baby, swinging his legs against the sofa.

Fleur gave a small giggle. "Oh, no, 'ou were _zuch_ a _quiet_ baby, Teddy."

He shook his head with a smile. "I'm not a quiet baby!"

Mrs. Weasley shushed him from raising his voice, but Fleur laughed cheekily with him. "'ow iz your Mum? I feel like I 'aven't seen her in weeks..."

"She's at work. She out to get the bad guys today." Teddy told her.

"She iz, iz she?" The woman encouraged, bouncing the still fussy baby in her arms. She put on a dramatic face with wide eyes. "I bet zat must be so _scary_."

Teddy shook his head, flashing his small teeth, his eyes crinkling together. "Mummy's not scared!"

"Well zat iz good zen!" She chuckled. "And 'our dad started working too, didn't 'e?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "He's a te- a _teacher_ now"

"Do 'ou misz 'im?"

"No." Teddy said firmly. "He'll be back."

"Well, 'ou tell 'our mum I zaid 'ello, will 'ou?" Fleur smiled. "And 'our dad when 'e returnz?"

"Mmhm!" He nodded. Teddy leaned over to get a better look at Victoire. "Why is she still upset?"

Fleur shrugged in defeat. "I do not know. Babiez juzt are upset."

Teddy whipped his head around towards the kitchen. "Why is she still upset?"

"Here," Mrs. Weasley dropped what she was doing to rush over to take the baby, rocking and bouncing her in her arms.

Fleur gave Teddy a tired smile with droopy eyes, ruffling his hair and kissing the top of his head, sending his hair into a bright blonde. The boy squirmed and made a face, the woman laughing. "'as 'our mother ever told 'ou zat making a face like zat will get stuck forever if 'ou keep it for too long?"

"No. It won't." He said adamantly.

"It might." She shrugged.

"It won't." He told her in full confidence.

"Whatev'r 'ou say, Teddy."

His face with straight with surprise, but he was still skeptical. "I don't believe you."

Fleur simply shrugged. "Zen I guess zat iz up to 'ou."

He kept his serious "thinking face" on. Mrs. Weasley eventually returned with a calmer, more swaddled baby Victoire. Teddy eagarly peaked over at the baby's face, looking over her features and taking this small, formerly screaming, being in. Her eye fluttered behind the lids and she bared a gummy, toothless gap between her rosy lips. She was _cute_ , sure, he thought, as far as babies went, and Teddy wasn't one to admire cute babies. There was just _something_ about her smallness and the fluffy blanket he was somewhat envious of and curious to touch.

"She sleeps a lot." He pointed out.

" 'es, she doez." Her mother agreed, propping the baby up on her arm, causing her to stir slightly.

Teddy hesitantly reached over and touched the tufts of her strawberry blonde hair admirably.

"Will she play when she's big?"

"Maybe." Fleur smiled. "Maybe ze two of 'ou 'ill be good friends one day."

"Best friends!" He said in awe.

"Maybe one day 'ou'll _date_ and _fall in love_ and _get_ _married..._ "

"No!" Teddy whined grumpily in apparent distress, shaking his head. " _No_..."

"Oh, I was only _joking_." She teased, rocking the baby. "Shh shh shh, don't _wake_ 'er."

"If she cries a lot, we can't play." Teddy declared.

"We will see." Fleur chuckled.

"Why aren't there other _boys_?" He wondered. "There's only _her._ "

"Becauze she juzt 'appened to be a girl."

"Why?"

"Becauze."

"But why?"

"Zat iz just 'ow things 'appened."

"Will there be _other_ boys? Or will there be more _girls_?"

"We will see." Fleur rolled her eyes with the shake of her head. "Maybe 'arry and Ginny will 'ave little boys and you can play with zem."

"Maybe they won't cry like her." He said in a dull voice. "Does her hair change?"

"Do 'ou mean colours? Like 'ours?" Fleur's hand gently brushed over the fuzz on the baby's head. "No, not like 'ours."

"Why?"

"Becauze 'ou 're zpecial."

"Why?"

" 'ou were juzt... born _different._ "

That answer didn't satisfy the boy.

"Why?"

"Becauze 'our mo'ser 'as zat ability, so 'ou do."

"Wh-"

"You juzt do." Fleur finally cut him off.

Teddy waited quietly for a moment. "Will she be as big as me one day?"

"Yes... but zen 'ou will be bigger az well."

"No, because then she'll be as big as me."

"When she getz bigger, _you'll_ get bigger."

"Oh."

Teddy stared down at the baby's face, her head squirming as she squirmed to out her thumb in her mouth, a small smile creeping onto the boy's face.


	57. Toils and Troubles

**AN: Hello! Just got back from break. I'm having some trouble focusing right now, so please excuse the temporary decrease in quality. It's like no matter what I write, it comes out wrong. I'm considering going back and editing the other chapters to try and improve the quality, but I know that would slow down updates considerably. Also, I've been thinking about how long I actually want to make this fic and I've not come to a conclusion yet, but rather am considering finding a cut off spot and creating a sequel to continue on when the kids are older and growing up. Thanks for the input as always! I love hearing from you all!**

There was an apprehensive flutter in the man's chest as he nervously shuffled on his feet. Remus felt like a child arriving at school for the first time as a student all over again, just as he had felt the first time he became a teacher. There was an almost comforting feeling that despite knowing he was only guaranteed the one year, at least _this time_ he wasn't necessarily facing his inevitable doom at the end of it. Thanks to the professor he was meant to replace, the track record was double of what it had been the past couple of decades, breaking whatever superstition or jinx was placed on the job. Hopefully, he wasn't about to undo that for when the old teacher returned.

The Great Hall was warm and welcoming despite being initially haunting. Without the rushed chatter of the teenagers, the lack of footsteps of the faculty as they walked along in small conversation to their dinner table left an almost unsettling atmosphere among the empty void. The candles were always Remus's biggest fascination, though they once were also his biggest fear when his he was eleven and anticipated the ceiling to collapse in a firey catastrophe. Thankfully, that was yet to have happen. He had tried to count them, but without any sort of pattern, they were an overwhelming number.

"I really do think I've come to appreciate the sorting ceremony." Professor Trelwany remarked in a small voice, leaning over towards him. "To think, all of the hard work the founders had done-gone with the war."

Having had some of his collegues as teachers once was strange the first time. Things felt different this time. Hagrid was less standoffish like he felt obligated to avoid him. Flitwick and Sprout weren't as hesitant or wary of his capabilities as they had been, though they had always throught he had been a brilliant student. Slughorn was more than delighted to see his former student beside him in work, always trying to start some new, long winded story from his time with James and Sirius whenever he saw Remus. McGonagall, who now took the center chair at the table, looked more cross than usual, but she it was as if nothing had changed between them. She smiled politely when he passed by, her lips slightly pursed, with a simple friendly nod of her head.

Many thoughts overcame him as he sat there. Remus first thought about Snape. They had never been friends and there had never been hope for them to _be_ friends, but his absence was noticed more now than ever. Was he _missing_ Snape? Remus truly felt alone now; even when they hated each other, Remus had thought maybe they had at least been able to relate to each other. It seemed like was the sole survivor from his class, though that couldn't have been possible. His next thought was wondering if his wife had been nervous at her sorting. The first conclusion was yes, given that she _was_ a Hufflepuff, but Remus smiled to himself, thinking about how proud and confident she would have been to wear Hufflepuff colours. Then Remus thought about Teddy. Teddy would be all grown up one day, wandering the halls, taking classes, getting into trouble with his friends... it was difficult to imagine how quickly he would be all grown up.

The students, Remus noted, had a wide variety of emotion towards the new school year. From the first years to the seventh years, excitement, fear, and plain boredom overlaid their faces. The first years stumbled, mumbling to each other as they filled in the front as the second through seventh years made their way to their tables to find their friends.

Remus tried to engage himself in the ceremony, but he found it difficult. Too many things were running through his mind. Would he be there for his children when they grew up and went to their sortings, even if he wasn't a teacher? _Dora would tell me about how I'm being paranoid and_ _say something about how I'm over thinking this_ , He reminded himself, but the idea still irked him.

He tried to enjoy the rest of the evening but he then wondered how many of students were still shaken from the war. How many would-be students missed the opportunity to go to school or flat out left because of what had happened? What would it have been like as the parents of these students? The intimidation Remus felt about being a teacher was easily overshadowed by the worry towards the children. They had likely been through hell and back, he concluded, and here he was worried about a career that wasn't even meant to be his.

 _Dementors_. He remembered the year he first taught when everyone believed Sirius Black was a mass murderer on the loose and guards from Azkaban were sent to watch over the school. Harry had been the most notable, given his "celebrity" status at the time, but Remus recalled how many other students were disturbed just from walking to class beside the things. And he once thought that was the worst of it. Sure, he later regretted showing some of the older students the boggart, but some of the graduates talked about how the Carrows were using Unforgivables on and in front of the younger students. His wife had been right about harping over and over on being careful with the children, and as unreal as it felt, Remus felt helpless at the thought that some of his own pupils were going through the own terrors his wife was experiencing.

Hogwarts had become frighteningly less warm and welcoming than Remus once remembered. The candles, the food, the exciting beginning of term speech, the cheery atmosphere felt like a facade all of a sudden. Or maybe he just hadn't noticed it before that night.


	58. The Good Guys

**AN: Sorry if there was a misunderstanding. No, I am not quitting this story. I was just stating that I wasn't sure whether I would continue it here or write a sequel/split it into two pieces.**

Loud, screaming sobs of a child rang through the house. Tonks had been awake since the early hours, sick with nausea and hurrying to get ready for work to make up the time. In a panic, she had no clue of what to do with the boy for the day.

"Teddy-" Tonks groaned, trying to lift him onto his feet.

"No!" Teddy bawled, squirming furiously and thrashing her arms. His hair burned bright red in similar fashion to his furiously angry face, tears frantically falling down his face. "I don'twanna! I don'tWANNA!"

"Youhaveto get ready togo,Teddy." Tonks implored. "Teddy, please!"

"No..." He whined, further sinking into the floor, sliding face first into the floor of the hallway. His mother was bent over as she strained to hold him up. "NO!"

"Teddy! Merlin's Beard, you have tohelpme!" She heaved, her head hanging against her chest, eyes shut tightly in frustration. Her pink hair had slowly turned a tired red through the tantrum. "I have towork."

"I don't wannago!" He slapped his hands on the floor, falling over onto his face and rolling onto his stomach. "Nooo..."

Tonks grabbed a pair of his shoes and the knit hat she kept beside the door, trying to push him to get dressed. "Well you can't stay here by yourself and I have to go."

"No!" He yelled back at her.

"Do you want to go to time-" She stopped her threat short. There wasn'ttimefor a time out. "Teddy, I'm not going to fight you. You have to get ready to go.Now. If you want to cry, you can cry there."

"No!"He cried.

Tonks took a deep breath, straightening up her back with exasperation. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead, brushing her bangs out of the way, her red hair dulling back to a purple. "What iswrong?Honey, I'm sorry-I'm sorry I yelled at you, but wereallyhave to get going."

"I don't want togo..." Teddy blubbered, sniffing and sniveling as he began to come back down.

"Why?" She asked gently. "Please talk to me... Why are you so upset? Can you use your words?"

Teddy said something completely incomprehensible.

"What was that?" Tonks repeated softly.

"The bad guys..." He mumbled, hiding his face.

She sighed, taking him by the shoulders with a small angry shake. "Honey, there are no bad guysatwork." Teddy looked at her in confusion. "I go to work, they tell me where the bad guys are, and then I have to go get them. I sit at adesk.I write letters and sign paperwork and I-I... Teddy, I would never,nevertake you anywhere dangerous, do you understand me? I wouldneverletanythinghappen to you, do I make myself clear?"

Teddy sniffled and nodded his head, giving it a small bow in shame. His mother felt herself begin to get choked up, her own eyes burning with angry tears as she looked away from him. Taking a deep breath, she turned to the boy and put on a smile. "Teddy, I love you so much." She announced, trying to become more simple for him to understand while hastily shoving his shoes on his feet. "I promise, I know I'm asking a lot of you to sit still and be on your best behaviour, but I wouldneverlet you get hurt.Nobad guys, okay?"

"Nobad guys?" Teddy begged.

"No bad guys." Tonks pleaded and shoved his hat over his head. "Come on, you'll get to meet the people I work with. You can sit at my desk and-" She brushed her fingers under his eyes to wipe away his tears. Their hair both turned to their calmer colours, red dimming away from the roots of their hair.

Teddy nodded and wobbled to his feet and Tonks followed him. "Mummy, are we going to go to the dizzy place?" He wondered fearfully.

She gave a small laugh, pressing a kiss on the boy's head. "No, we're not disapperating."

Teddy let out a dramatic sigh and put his hands on his hips. "That's good." He stated firmly.

Tonks snickered as she collected herself to finish getting ready. "Okay Teddy, do you want to help me?" She asked, leading the boy over to the fireplace and holding out a clay flower pot from the top of the mantlepiece to him. He nodded, eagerly taking a handful of shimmering green powder as they climbed into the fireplace. "Hold my hand, you hear? Don't let go until I tell you." She warned. He let go of the powder and shut his eyes, clinging on tightly to her arm. "Ministry of Magic." Tonks cleared her throat.

The house was whisked away in a whirlwind of green sparks and flames, spinning away in a flurry. Teddy curiously opened his eyes and looked around before burying his face back in his mother's hip. One of the several fireplaces appeared in sight, slowing to a stop. The dark tiles of the underground hallway welcomed the pair. Tonks marched out with him, taking the boy's hand and leading him through the crowd. She lifted him up onto her hip and Teddy looked around at all the different kinds of people in awe, overwhelmed by every little thing going on around him, from the literal flying memos to the various appearances of witches and wizards to the bright shining gold fountain.

Tonks fought her way into the crowded elevator and the pair made their way to the auror office. Teddy stayed eerily quiet in shock.

"Oh my goodness!" The eccestric front desk clerk, Margaret, smiled and happily waved at the boy as the two passed by. "Hello, little one!"

"Hi." Teddy chirped.

"Good morning, Margaret." Tonks droned, hiding away her smile as they ducked away into her office. "Morning, Dwight. Bad morning. I'll work on it. Won't happen again." She propped the boy up in a chair beside her own.

"Oh, don' lie." The man teased, sitting up, and grinning at the child. "Who's this?"

"Can you tell him your name?" Tonks implored. Teddy mumbled something bashfully, his hair turning emerald green and his chubby cheeks up-turning gleefully. "What is it?" She asked, tickling his middle.

"Teddy!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Teddy, eh?" Dwight smiled. "Are ya gonna grow up to be like yer Mum?"

"Say 'we don't know about that yet'." Tonks smiled. "Can you tell him how old you are?" He happily held up three fingers. "Notquite.You'retwo, right? Two. Almost three." She dug out parchment from her desk along with a plain pencil and handing them to the boy. "Here, make something for me."

"Is tha' forme?" Dwight asked playfully.

"No!" Teddy giggled at the man, hiding his paper as he began to scribble something onto the page. The auror put on a sad pout, turning his head down to his desk. Teddy turned to his mother in reassurance, laughing.

"Look, you made him sad." She nudged his arm.

Teddy looked up with guilt and wide eyes. The man across from chuckled to show that he was playing with him. "It's fine. Only hurt a li'l." Dwight shrugged.

"He's just messing with you." Tonks whispered, grinning.

Teddy looked up to her, his smile turning lopsided. "I'll drawyoua picture."

She ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head, her nose burying in his colourful hair. "Good. Now I have to work. Surprise me, okay?"


	59. Monday Morning

Breakfast had finished and the first block of classes on Monday morning, Remus was schedualed to have a group of sixth years, mixed between Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors. The students had all found their seats close to their friends, carrying on with their own conversations.

Standing before them, he felt the initial wave of nervousness disappear. He had done this before hadn't he? Remus cleared his throat apprehensively. "Can you all please settle down for a minute so that I can take roll?" Most of the students quieted down from their conversation.

A collection of rowdy boys in the back, however, continued talking in low voice, laughing. "Excuse me?" He repeated.

One Gryffindor boy that was perched on the back of his chair towards the back of the room, sitting above all the other students, remarked, "I don't know, can you?" A couple of students snickered in response, but the voices in the room died down.

"Well aren't you very clever." Remus mumbled dryly then turned back to his list.

"Thank you." The boy straightened up with a smug look.

"Just ignore him." A redhead Hufflepuff girl on the front row sighed. "He does this all the time."

"Does he now?" Remus tried to hide his smile. "Do you have a name I can check off my list, young man?"

"I'd hope so." The boy retorted, sliding down into his chair. "Nicolas Higgins, sir."

"Nicolas." Remus nodded. "I'll remember that." He continued down his list, checking off the present names. When he was finished, he stopped and turned to look around at his now audience of students. "Nicolas, why don't you come sit up beside my desk." Remus chimed up, shaking his head and tapping on an empty desk by the front of the room.

"Oh, of course." The boy smirked, eagerly jumping out of his seat to slump down in a desk in the front.

"So I know that you all are starting your next to last year of school and that you all will be going off into the real world to get real jobs. Since I was once a teacher, you all would have missed me as a teacher by two years, but I'd like to know about your previous teachers. Would you all mind telling me some things about your previous Defense Against the Dark Arts classes?"

Everyone stayed quiet, looking at each other. The same few talked back and forth and Remus struggled to keep up with who was who as they bounced back and forth.

"Well... our first teacher was Professor Umbridge." One boy that had been sitting with a few other loud teenage boys said hesitantly. He stood out for having a very freckled face.

"Yes, I did hear about her." Remus frowned.

"She was _awful_." The redhead girl interrupted. "Some of the stuff she was having us write for lines-"

Someone cut her off. "On our _skin_ , our _hands-_ "

"She made me keep writing about how I was a 'degenerate' and 'getting nowhere in life'." Nicolas interrupted with air quotes.

"Yeah, 'cause it's true." Someone behind him teased. A couple of people chuckled and the Higgins kid didn't seem to mind.

"Settle down now..." The professor gently urged them.

"We had Professor Snape our second year." Another brought up. "He creeped me out. I dunno..." Once, Remus might have thought it amusing. But now, knowing everything Snape had once done before his death on top of of all the other things the students had endured, Snape may have been putting it lightly.

"Yeah, wasn't he a death eater? He had us dueling and stuff all the time. Seemed like the real dark magic stuff."

"And third year?"

"Carrow..." A voice groaned and several others followed.

"Now _that_ was _real_ dark magic-"

"She used to hex us all the time... make us hex each other. If we were real bad, we got an unforgivable. Crucio, sometimes Imperio." The soft voice budded in. "Made us do awful things in front of everyone..."

"And if we weren't, we got crucio'd anyways." A boy said in a low tone. "Or pushed into a wall. Or thrown into things. Or wrote lines with those blood quills."

"Speaking of which, I got this really neat scar that looks sort of like a dragon on my arm." Nicolas rolled up his sleeve proudly.

"Marcy, it's _okay,_ really-" Someone was trying to calm the soft voice.

"They would punish us even when we didn't do anything wrong."

"God forbid we _did_..."

"Remember when that one first year- who was it?- tried to _sneak_ _food_ into class that one time...?"

The small voice named Marcy contributed. "I _still_ can't wear skirts above my knees without thinking about when Professor Amycus made me stand up in front of everyone..."

"Sir?" A small voice on the front row chirped.

"Yes?" Remus replied, looking for the voice.

A boy on the front row with large glasses on his face swallowed and stared up at the teacher nervously. "Were you there the night of the battle?"

This piqued several people's interest to listen. Remus stammered, "Yes-yes, I was. And I hope none of you all were?"

"My sister was when she was seventeen." Another boy brought up. A few other voices mentioned their parents and siblings that had fought in the war.

"Are you _the_ Professor Lupin? The one that taught with a boggart on your first day?"

"I suppose I am, yes. The one and only, I think."

"I heard you were really nice."

"Well thank you."

"Are you reallya _werewolf_?" Someone inquired.

"I-" Remus cleared his throat again to keep his composure. "Yes, yes I am."

"You're not going to, like... _change_ or anything or...?"

"No." He said quickly. "There will be substitutes here to teach while I'm gone. I assure you, there won't be any problems or incidents while I'm here-"

"That's pretty cool though, right?" Nicolas expressed warmly, turning to the person next to him.

"Why don't you go ahead and tell me about the last two years?" He quickly changed the subject.

"It's just been... strange. You know? I guess we're just so used to having a teacher that hasn't really _taught_ this class." The freckled boy shrugged.

A student in the corner raised their hand. "Sir, will we be given textbooks? There wasn't anything on the supplies list."

"Oh, I won't be handing out textbooks and you won't be needing them."

"We won't?"

"If I assign any book work, you'll have plenty of time to complete them in class." He explained. "You'll have plenty of notes and I'm sure Madam Pince will have plenty of resources for any essays you have to write. The tests that are made for the textbook won't get you anything but a high grade on your NEWTS."

"Don't we _want_ to pass our NEWTS?"

"Of course, but reading about performing nonverbal spells isn't going to be beneficial when you need tobe perform them. You don't _want_ to spend all your time reading things you can't use, do you?"

"But Professor Um-"

Remus held up his hands, smiling. "I know. We're going to be doing things a bit differently this year."

"Or we all end up falling asleep, anyways." One blonde girl frowned, her eyes darting sideways.

The man in front of the room took a deep breath, nodding. "I'm not sure I can assure that you all will stay awake, but I promise there won't be any beatings or any cruel or unusual punishment. I realize that that isn't something I should have to say to you all, but I want to make that clear. It is unfair that you all should have to sacrifice your education-more importantly your sanity- all because of evil people in the world." Remus paused, a look of determind thought on his face, his forehead wrinkling in a disgruntled way. He shook his head. "Anyways, I have handed out a copy of the rubric and syllabus to each of you..."

Hands that weren't already holding the paper did so, reading over the course work.

"It's my job to prepare you all for wherever you end up and to help you decide which path to take. Some if you might become cursebreakers or aurors, some of you may even end up taking my job some day. But no matter where you end up, being able to manage yourselves under situations where you would need to handle dark magic and entities." He shifted slightly uncomfortably, putting his hands in his pockets. "And it's more than just fighting death eaters, dueling with evil wizards. You can go into a profession where you work with different beasts and beings of dangerous classifications. Or if you go into a medical career, you could be handling patients affected by complex jinxes. Even things like household chores, such as cleaning out doxies or summoning something nonverbally from across the room, would be taught in this class. But you all will be a bit more advanced than that."

"Does... anyone have any questions?"

A couple of students nodded as they listened intently, and Remus waited patiently. Finally, the Nicolas boy broke the silence with a raised hand. "So... will _we_ ever get to fight a boggart?" He asked hesitantly. "Because that's pretty cool and I heard that one time, a kid was afraid of Professor Snape and he came out wearing a dress."

"Now I don't remember it happening exactly like _that."_ Remus gave a small laugh, staring up at the ceiling. "We'll see about the boggart. _Maybe_ if the class gets a high average on the final..."


	60. Visiting

Teddy jumped down from his mother's lap. "Daddy!" He shouted, running across to the door and past several adults to greet his father.

"Teddy! It's so wonderful to see you!" Remus smiled, picking the boy up in a tight hug. Teddy buried his face in his father's neck happily, hugging him with small arms. "Where's Mummy?"

The boy's bright blue hair shone and he pointed across the way to his mother. "O'er there! Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did! I missed you the _whole_ time I was gone." He assured happily.

"Wotcher, Rem." She smiled weakly, standing up. Trying her best not to waddle over too obviously to him, she joined the hug with a wobbly embrace.

He gave her a brief kiss on the lips and rested his hand on her back. "How _are_ you?"

"Good!" Teddy interrupted enthusiastically, still clinging onto his father's shirt.

"Good?" Remus nodded, turning to his wife. "And you?"

"I'm wonderful and-"

Tonks was cut short by a busy Mrs. Weasley, attempting to maneuver the small, more unfamiliar kitchen. "Excuse me, dear-" She announced as she pushed the couple apart. "Tonks, could you give me a hand with the potatoes?"

"Oh, of course." She nodded, ducking away towards the stove to fix the potatoes.

"Have you been good while I was gone?"

"Yes!" Teddy exclaimed pointedly.

"No!" His mother threw in from across the kitchen, laughing softly to herself.

Remus shook his head. "What did I tell you before I left? You have to be good for your mum."

"I _was_ good." The boy said innocently.

" _Sometimes._ " Tonks interjected, rolling her eyes.

"I was the _best_!" Teddy squealed.

"Now I don't believe _that_." His father teased.

"You're staying now?" Teddy asked hopefully.

Remus bounced the boy on his hip, his eyes glancing away. He wasn't going to like the answer. "I still have to go back to work on Monday, but I'm spending two nights here with _you_."

"Monday?" Teddy asked in shock as the two seemed to disappear among the bustle of the kitchen.

Tonks sighed and brushed her hair behind her ears, trying to help peel potatoes before Ginny was sent over by her mother to finish. Dinner was pleasant, though Tonks had been disappointed in her lack of opportunity to talk personally with her husband, but having company around was enjoyable just the same. After all the food was eaten and conversation was caught up on, people said their goodbyes and headed out. Tonks finally caught up to her husband, who had put Teddy to bed and was sitting on the couch with a book in his lap.

"Hey, handsome." She cooed softly, leaning over his shoulder and nuzzling the side of his neck with her cheek, gently massaging his shoulders. "Always reading, aren't you?"

He looked up from what he had been reading, turning to face her. "Well, hello."

"You'd be proud of me. All this free time at work's left me digging through some of those you keep on the bookcase in the hall. I'll be honest with you though, they're pretty boring. The ones you keep in here are a lot nicer." She planted a kiss on his cheek lovingly.

"That's because those are the nonfiction, love." He chuckled.

"Things have finally wound down long enough for us to talk." She paused, hovering over his skin. "How was... everything?"

Remus shut the book and reached up, touching her cheek with his hand and sliding over to get a better look at her. "You don't have to stand. You can come sit down if you'd like."

She walked around, sitting down beside him, propping her legs across his lap, her arms wrapping around her middle. She gave him a smile. "Come on then, tell me all about it. What's it like?"

"It's..." Remus's eyes looked away at something, smiling in a proud, lopsided manner. "I had forgotten how much adoration I had for being a teacher. It was an absolute commotion, but seeing how eagar some the students were to be there... it was..." He sat in thought for a moment. "It brought a lot back for me. A lot of things I had forgotten. Things are still slow, but they'll pick up soon."

"I'm so glad. Really, that's wonderful. I'm excited for you. You know, maybe teaching becomes a more permanent thing for you." Tonks watched his face carefully. "You still have a few good years before retirement, don't you?"

He snapped back to the living room, turning to his wife. "And how are you? How did things go at the doctor's? When I didn't hear from you, I got worried that something was wrong. How's-"

Tonks smiled, taking a deep breath through her mouth. "We're... we're perfectly fine." She let go, leaning forward into his shoulder.

"What did they say? Specifically? Don't leave anything out, I'd like to hear-"

"It went great. Well, they had me go in and they... I won't lie, it was very... _unusual_ to say the least. Fleur said it was a normal muggle thing, I dunno. They made me lay down and they put this... _stuff_ on my stomach and they poked me with this _thing_ and then a _picture_ showed up. It sounds silly when I explain it and I still don't quite understand how it worked, which is a bit worrying, but-" She explained, her eyebrows coming together in thought. "They gave me one. The pictures, I mean. I suppose it's meant to be of the baby. I don't know what to do with it yet, though. Oh! And they said we wer off by only a couple weeks. Closer to three and a half months." He bit at his lip without thinking, smiling, absorbed in her words. "I mean, they're professionals, so I suppose I have to trust them on what they're doing to me, but... anyways, I dunno anything else. I'm just glad they didn't find anything wrong. Anything within the margin of error, anyways, best they know of. And it's still too soon to tell if it's a boy or a girl, they said."

"They would be able to tell?" Remus posed.

"Apparently so. Anyways, that'll be helpful, won't it? If it's a boy, I bet we could put him into Teddy's room, but where would we put a girl? We can't just build a new room and we can't just extend one with magic, I don't think." Tonks rambled on. "What if it _is_ a girl? Where _would_ we put her? We'll need girl _clothes_ and all that... My mum's going to _kill_ us when she hears." She whispered, laughing more and wrinkling her nose, balling up in his lap.

He silently buried his nose in her hair, embracing her tighter in his arms. Her locks turned into a cheery pink as she fell completely into his arms, kisses being planted on the side of her face.

"She'll _love_ the news! Whether it's a boy or a girl, we'll figure something out. We can make it work. I promise." He rested his head on her shoulder, gently squeezing her waist and pulling her closer, lovingly rubbing circles on the bottom of her now somewhat round belly. "How's Teddy been?"

"He misses you. A lot, actually." Tonks sighed. "He fights me to go to bed or take a bath. He wouldn't let Mum, Harry or Ginny, or Fleur-Not even _Molly_ put him down for a nap. I feel like an awful Mu-"

"You're not awful." He cut her off. "He's three and he's stubborn. He'll grow out out it soon enough, I'm sure."

"What if he doesn't?" She asked warily. "What if he just becomes hard-headed and resistant?"

"He will, Dora. We'll get this figured out and everything will be fine." Remus briefly paused. "I love you."

"I love you too." Tonks replied quietly.

"What's really got you so worried?" He asked in a voice that didn't quite take her seriously, his lips still upturned in amusement against her cheek.

"Oh, nothing." She shook her head.

"Are you at least feeling better?"

"Hmm? Sure, I'm better."

" _Dora_..."

"Come on, you think a little sickness got me down?" She giggled, wrinkling her nose up against his until he laughed. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Dora." He mumured, leaning in to kiss her, her smile widening with a bubbly grin. "I missed your laugh."

"Daddy?" A small voice asked. The couple turned to see the toddler boy standing in the middle of the living room, clutching onto his favourite stuffed toy.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Tonks asked, sitting up and turning to face the boy.

"I can't sleep." Teddy announced. "I'm not tired."

"Well you can't sleep if you get out of bed." Remus said. The boy walked over, crawling into his father's lap, staring across at his mother. "Have you been not able to sleep a lot lately, hmm?" He nodded.

"I haven't changed anything in his routine. Everything's exactly the same." Tonks sighed.

"Are you worried about something?" His father wondered. He nodded. "What is it?"

"I had bad dreams." The toddler said simply, rubbing his face. "With monsters and bad guys."

"Bad dreams, huh?" Remus gently ran his hand over the boy's head.

"You didn't show him your textbooks, did you?" Tonks demanded. "Come on, I know that kind of stuff freaks him out and so do you-"

"No, I didn't _show_ him anything." Remus corrected. "Teddy, the monsters won't get you. We make sure there are no bad guys and the monsters don't live anywhere near us. I promise. We wouldn't let any monsters in the house."

"What about the monster that comes in my room at night?" The boy asked curiously.

" _What_ monster _that goes in your room at night?"_ Remus quickly asked in a panicked voice.

"The one on the dresser..." Teddy said plainly, yawning.

"Remus-" Tonks laughed, patting his arm. "Teddy, sweetheart, I've been leaving the door cracked so Patches can go in there and sleep next to your bed. I've seen him when I go in to check in you. I promise. He's just looking after you."

"Oh." Teddy nodded. His eyes were growing tired and harder to keep open.

"I'm starting tl think it's time for babies to go to bed." Remus sighed, cradling Teddy to his chest and standing up.

"But I'm not tired-" The boy couldn't even finish his sentence, squirming in his father's arms.


	61. Letters

"Teddy, come here!" His mother called from the kitchen, an envelope in his hands. A toddler's wobbly run came down the hall from the other end of the house. She smiled, holding up the letter. "Daddy wrote us a letter."

The boy gasped excitedly, jumping up and down, smiling. "Really?"

"Come here, let's read it." She encouraged, slumping down in a chair at the kitchen table. Teddy climbed up in her lap, pushing himself onto her legs. Tonks sighed and adjusted him so that she could hold the letter in front of him. Her stomach wasn't very big yet, but with this baby, the bump had still hit a growth spurt, leaving her uncomfortable, now with a squirming three year old only adding to it. Tonks knew the others would find out soon if they weren't putting the pieces together already. Soon, she would officially be banished to her old maternity clothes and oversized sweaters. With Teddy, she remembered, she was so embarrassed to give into wearing maternity clothes (which she had convinced herself were absolutely horrendious), she was practically eight months along and charming her clothes to fit. Remus had once teased her for being so heavily pregnant and trying to pull off wearing ridiculously tight jeans.

"Here, do you want to open it?" She asked. Tonks broke open the envelope and he took it from her to open it all the way, giving it back to her to read.

"' _Dear Dora and Teddy Bear,'_ " She read aloud.

"Who's _Dora_?" Teddy laughed curiously.

His mother laughed. "That's _my_ name, Silly."

"No, you're _Mummy_." Teddy firmly corrected.

" _Sort of_. You call me Mummy because that's what I am. I'm _your_ mummy. See, Nana's _my_ mummy. Aunt Fleur is _Victoire's_ mummy... It's not my real name." She explained. Teddy didn't say anythibg because he didn't believe her, but he didn't argue either. She must have been making things up again.

"' _Dear Dora and Teddy_ ,'" Tonks continued.

 _"'I promised I'd write to you while I was gone, so here it is! Things are going as well as they can here at the school. Not much to say, really. I did have to write up my first student today, a sixth year boy, which wasn't exactly pleasant._

 _I hope work is going well for you, Dora. And I hope Teddy is doing better, behaving and sleeping through the night and all? Mum will let me know if you're not, but I'm absolutely positive that you'll be good. I am very proud of you for being so brave while I'm away._

 _I know it won't be easy by yourself, but I'll have to be gone this weekend. I'll miss the two of you though, of course! If I should need to take a day off to rest, I'll sneak out for the day to visit. And I'll write to you as soon as the moon wanes to let you know that I'm safe._

 _I love you two very much and hope to hear from you soon,_

 _\- Dad.'"_

Teddy's eyes still scanned wonderously back and forth over the letter like her could read it. His father had mindlessly doodled something that looked sort of like a scratchy looking plant on the corner and that fascibated him enough. Tonks's fingers played with the sentimental boy's brown hair that now looked similar to his father's, but without the grey.

"Daddy's not coming home?" He asked in a sad whine.

"Not this weekend, no." She replied softly.

" _Why_?"

"Because... Daddy's... _sick_ , Teddy. He can't come home when he's sick." She sounded absolutely uncomfortable.

"Why?"

"Because..." Tonks had no clue what to say. "Because... because it wouldn't be safe. We might get _sick_ , too."

"Why?"

"Because when people are sick... they can spread it to healthy people without trying to. And that's bad. Hey, don't worry, you're not sick and you're not going to _get_ sick. _Nothing's_ going to happen to us."

"Is he sick like _you_?" The boy wondered. Tonks had thought she had done a better job of pretending she hadn't thrown up in the kitchen sink.

"Um... no, not _quite_. Mine's a different... _different_ sickness. You can't get that either." She said warily.

"So Daddy's just ill?"

"...in a _way_ , yes..." Tonks nodded.

Teddy's face scrunched up with thought. "He'll feel better soon?"

"Of course." Tonks assured, kissing the top of the boy's head.

He quickly jumped to his feet, running as hard as he could from her before his mother could stop him. Curious, however, and still clutching the envelope, she made her way after him. The boy was in the bathroom, standing on his toes on the toilet lid, the cabinet doors above him open.

"...Teddy?" Tonks asked hesitantly, knocking on the door and opening it up. The boy's cheeks and hair grew pink with the embarassment of getting caught in the act. "What are you doing?"

"You said Daddy wasn't feeling good." He said bluntly, holding something behind him.

"Yes, I did." She confirmed, still watching him in confusion. "What are you doing? Are you holding something?"

Shyly, Teddy held out a plastic bottle of cough medicine that he had been forced to take when he fell ill with a cold to his mother. "You said Daddy was sick." He said in a more unsure voice.

She shook her head sadly, putting away the cough syrup in a less Teddy-reacable place and picking the boy up, the two sitting down on the edge of the bathtub. "It's... It's a _special_ illness. He's not throwing up or running a temperature like you did. It can't be treated with this kind of medicine." Tonks explained. "See, Mummy has to make it for him. That's what you've seen me doing before in the kitchen when I have to get out that big pot from the closet?"

"But he's getting better?" Teddy asked hopefully.

There was a pause. "No." His mother shook her head, announcing almost painfully. "He won't be getting better."

"But medicine makes you better, Mummy!" The toddler insisted worriedly. "Won't he just get _better?"_

"Daddy's medicine makes him _feel_ better, which is good. But he won't ever stop being sick."

"He won't?" He pleaded.

"No, Teddy." He stared at her, terrified. "But that doesn't mean anything, honey, okay? He isn't _dying_ and he's been feeling a lot better lately. He just gets tired and hurts sometimes. But he feels fine most of the time, okay? He's okay. Nothing's changing or has changed, Teddy. Daddy's been sick since he was a little boy and he's had flare ups every month since. He knows how to take care of himself."

Teddy thought about what she told him. "Will he still be able to play?"

"Of course he will!" Tonks smiled faintly. "Just not when he's feeling _really_ ill, alright? Then you have to let him sleep in. And sometimes he can be a bit mean, so you just have to be patient with him. Think you can do that?"

"Okay!" Teddy smiled.

"Why don't we write him back a letter?" She asked encouragingly. "Maybe you can make him a 'get-well' card for after the weekend, hmm?"

Teddy happily agreed, excited to get out his crayons. It had become an exciting game when his mother helped him write his name and sometimes even other words. "Mummy?" He asked in a curious voice.

"Yes?"

"Do _you_ need the medicine to feel better?" He asked innocently.

She tried not to smile. "No, honey, I'll be fine in a bit."

"Do _you_ have the special sickness?" Teddy looked worried again.

"No, I'm alright." She assured, standing up. "Come on, that letter won't write itself, will it?"


	62. As Word Gets Out

**AN: Hello, readers! Sorry for the delay. I'll be honest, I didn't want to upload this, but the chapter I was _going_ to upload is only about 200 words and I don't like it so far. I'll have more Remus stuff up as soon as I get motivated enough to just sit down and finish it and _not_ work on _every other chapter_. Sorry. **

The Lupins had been preparing for this. _Today_ , they decided, would be the day. "Hey, Teddy, can I ask you something?" Tonks asked, walking around the corner into the child's bedroom.

"Yes, Mummy!" Teddy smiled. He was sitting in the floor playing with his toys.

She sat down across from him, smiling. "Do you know how much I love you?"

"Probably... a lot!" He replied.

"No. Not _probably_." She laughed, ticking his sides. He beamed with laughter, trying to squirm away from her. "I do love you a lot. I love you so much you have no idea."

" _Mummmmmyyyy_!" He giggled.

She hugged him tighter, kissing the top of his head. "I love you so much, Little Man."

"I-I love you." The boy smiled, snuggling up in her arms.

"Teddy," Tonks said gently. "Mummy and Daddy have some news for you." The boy carefully studied her face. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Mummy's... Mummy's going to have a baby." The boy was quiet before looking up to his mother in confusion. She brushed her fingers through his hair nervously. "Mummy's going to have a baby... in a few months." There was a pause. "You're going to have a baby brother or sister." She sounded strangely unsure of herself.

"A baby?" Teddy asked. "Like... baby Victoire?"

"Yes! Just like Victoire, but they'll be a bit smaller than her. And they'll live here with _us."_

"Really?" The boy sounded perplexed.

"Look here," She rested her hand on her stomach. "Do you remember how Aunt Fleur's belly got big before Victoire was born? It's going to be like that. Your baby brother or sister has to stay in here until they're big enough."

Teddy just sat thoughtfully.

"What are you thinking about?" Tonks asked.

The boy shook his head quietly.

"Are you upset at us?" She wondered. He just shook his head.

Tonks kissed the top of his head. "I still love you so much. Do you hear? Nothing's going to change that. Mummy and Daddy might be... busier or more tired, but you know we won't ever stop loving you. No baby is going to change that, and-"

As if on cue, there was a brief knock on the door and Remus walked in. "Hello?" He smiled at the two, before becoming increasingly concerned when Teddy just sat beside his mother, not moving to greet him like he always did.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"We're um... well, we're not exactly taking the news all that wonderfully... better than I expected, though, I suppose." The toddler had slumped sadly against her chest, his face buried in her shirt. "I expected a tantrum, but we're doing good so far."

Remus sat down on the other side of the boy, gently rubbing his back. "Hey... what's wrong, Teddy Bear?"

The boy shook his head in frustration.

"Teddy? Can you look at me?"

The boy shook his head more furiously.

"This isn't a punishment." His mother reminded him. "It doesn't mean we'll love you any less. It means we'll just... have another person to love. We aren't replacing you... we aren't upset at you..."

"And just because we get busy doesn't mean we pick the baby over you." Remus added in. "Babies can be very needy sometimes, and we're going to have to change some things, but that doesn't mean we're going to stop us from doing fun things."

Teddy didn't say anything. He didn't say anything for a good while. He cried into his mother's shirt while she rocked him. He cried into a pillow on the couch when she got up. He pouted for a while, too. He pouted on the stack of potions books stacked in the "time out" corner, his tiny arms angrily crossed (his parents assured him that he wasn't in trouble, but he didn't say anything, only pouted, with tomato red hair).

"Nana's coming over for dinner." Tonks smiled from the stove, cooking something in a pan. "I think she'd be _delighted_ if you were the one who told her the big news, Teddy."

He just pouted.

"If you don't tell her, we will."

"I don't _care!_ " Teddy said defiantly.

Tonks shrugged. "Okay, then."

He _did_ care, but he didn't want his parents to know (they did). "Daddy," Teddy spoke up, slowly making his way across the kitchen to his father, hugging his leg. "Will... will the baby sleep in _my_ room?"

"That depends on if it's a boy or a girl. If it's a boy, it will." He explained.

"Is it a boy?" Teddy asked curiously.

"We don't know." Remus said. The boy mumbled something incoherently. He knelt down to hear him better. "What was that?" The boy harshly whispered something and Remus chuckled, returning to his cooking. "No, Teddy, the baby's not going to steal your toys."

Teddy nuzzled his leg, waddling alongside him as he navigated the kitchen, his brain filling with questions. "Where do babies come from?"

"Um," Tonks didn't miss a beat, but then she didn't know what to say. "Well, uh... _um_..." She jabbed her husband in the side with her elbow as he walked around her.

"Oh, sorry, was I in the way?" He asked innicently

"You're _useless_." She growled, and he only laughed.

 _"Well?"_ Teddy asked, his hands on his hips impatiently.

"Hey, don't use that tone." His father corrected.

"Yes, Daddy." He nodded, waiting before asking again. " _Where_ do they come from? _Why_ is it in your belly?"

 _"Magic."_ Tonks answered quickly.

"That's... just how things work... they're too little to live on their own, so babies have to live in their mummy's belly." Remus explained.

"You did when you were that little. Don't you remember the pictures I showed you?" Tonks asked.

"How long does it have to stay there?" Teddy replied.

"A few months. They'll be here after Christmas, but before your birthday." She shrugged.

"And they're going to _live_ with us?"

"Yes, we're keeping the baby here."

"Is it going to cry like Victoire?"

"Yeah, babies cry do cry a lot..."

"Victoire sleeps a lot too..."

"They'll probably sleep a lot too."

The boy thought for a while, almost out of worry. "Well how's it going to _get out?"_ The toddler wondered.

His mother sighed, kneeling down beside him and kissing the top of his head. "Don't worry too much about it, okay?"

Teddy was still indecisive in telling his grandmother when she got there, requiring him mother to try and encourage him to tell her.

"Is something going on?" Andromeda asked, quickly catching on. "Is something bothering you all tonight?"

"Andromeda, we've got some news for you." Remus turned to Teddy, nodding his head towards his mother-in-law. "Teddy, do you want to tell her?"

"You have some news for _me?"_ Andromeda smiled with wide eyes behind her napkin. "Well what is it?"

Tonks whispered something in the boy's ear. "Go on, then."

"I'm going to be a big brother!" Teddy smiled.

His grandmother dropped her fork on her plate, her hand rested on her chest in delight. "That's _absolutely_ wonderful!" She looked over to her daughter. "How far along are you?"

"Bit over three months." Tonks smiled warily.

"They aren't working you, are they?" Andromeda inquired.

"Only desk work. It's nothing too bad, Mum." Tonks's voice dropped and she leaned forward over the table, her head shaking. "It's not going to be like last time."

Andromeda nodded solemnly. "Have you been managing alright? Not feeling too bad, are you?"

"Only a little." Tonks shrugged.

"You should've _said_ something, Dora. We could've gotten you something for the nausea. Oh, isn't that _wonderful_ , Teddy? You'll get to be a big brother! Dora, please tell me you're not messing around at work. You _know_ better than to go out there and get yourself _hexed-"_

" _Really_ , Mum, I'll manage." She rolled her eyes, taking generous bites of her dinner.

They had decided on telling their son first as to keep him from finding out about his siblings from other people in the strange, distant Weasley family that he spent so much time around. What they _hadn't_ counted on was the entire family finding out when Teddy decided to tell _everyone_ about his big news, before refusing to stop talking about it. It only lasted about a week though, before he became bored at the idea of a little sibling and seemingly forgetting about it altogether.


	63. Protego

Remus settled into a seat on his desk, a book balanced in his arm. He drew out his wand and waved it towards the chalk board at his side, the words "Shield Charms and their classifications." appearing in chalk.

"So for your homework, could any of you all tell me off the top of your head the distinctions between the different variants of the shield charm?" He asked. No one bothered to respond. "Can anyone? Surely at least one of you has to know it and the rest of you copied, or you all just wrote down an answer without reading what you put down."

There was still no response. "Well, then let's talk about it and maybe we'll understand it. First, can anyone tell me which charm we're discussing?"

A Hufflepuff girl in the front spoke up hesitantly. "Pro... Protego?"

"Yes! Very good!" Remus smiled. "And can anyone think of just one type of Protego? Think of some of the charms you learned earlier on... lumos, specifically."

"Maxima? So like, Protego Maxima?" One boy threw in.

"You would be correct, Mr... my apologies, I can't quite remember. Richie Lawler? Yes, I remember now. Yes, Richie, Protego Maxima is one type of shield charm. Of the four, it probably falls in the middle as far as its ability to protect the caster. Does anyone want to take a guess at its specific function?"

"Is it... isn't it a shield?"

"Thank you, but what specific shield does it create? This isn't a test, if you'd like to look in your books now, go ahead."

There was a furious flipping of pages and slamming book covers at students dug through their books.

"'Protego Maxima is a stronger version of the Shield Charm that conjures up an almost impregnable magical protection barrier. People who are out of the shield can't see and hear the wizards that are protected.'"

"Thank you, sir. So, we know that in basic combat, Protego is used to shield the caster. Protego Maxima creates a barrier around a particular area, usually a house or property. We can sort of infer that it would be used less during combat, but rather as a preventative measure. Okay, three more. Any guesses? Yes?"

"Protego Duo, I guess it's used in dueling to protect two people?" A girl threw in, looking around for justification.

"Correct, however it can be used on only one person since it's more powerful than its stabdard. Any others?"

"Protego Totalum and... Protego Horribilis."

"Yes, and I'm glad you mentioned these two together." Remus stood up and walked over to the chalkboard. "At first glance, they appear to both be large scale shields for protecting vast amounts of area, but in fact, they can be used on any sized area. I believe there's a note in the margin about wizards using against valuables and inevitably either disintegrating their limbs at worst or making themselves their important possessions inaccessible at best."

"Protego Totalum is typically used for long term circumstances where a building would need protection if they were in hiding." The teacher explained. "Protego Horribilis... is a bit more... aggressive. Protego Horribilis can protect against the darkest sorts of magic and if a person comes in contact with the barrier, their body can literally... to put it bluntly, explode. We won't be dealing with Horribilis and most people don't deal with it in their lifetime, but today, we're going to be practicing shield charms, if you all could pack up your books and bags, set them against the window, and get into pairs."

The students excitedly gathered their things and hurried to one side of the room. Remus flicked his wand and the desks moved out of the way. He gestured to seperate into two groups. "When you have your partner, I want you to form two lines. On this side, one of you'll be practicing Protego first. Just Protego. But before that, can we all try saying it without wands please? On three, one, two, three-"

"Protego!"

"Again? One, two, three."

"Protego!"

"One more time, one, two, three."

"Protego!"

"Wonderful! Now, on the other side, I want you all to use a simple disarming spell and nothing more. If anyone decides to use any other sort of spell, intentially harmful in any way or not, I assure you, you will find yourself in detention and I will make sure you will stay there for as long as I deem necessary and I will make sure it's appropriate for your punishment. Do I make myself clear?" Remus sternly warned them.

A clamor of agreements and nods came from the collection of students.

"Alright." He nodded in satisfaction and walked over to the crowd of students. "Now, the spell itself is performed just like any other spell you've learned so far. So just go ahead and try to defend yourself from the disarming spell."

It was entertaining to watch the teenagers excitedly try and stun each other, which they were bad at that, and worse at using shield charms. Of course, at least one student had to try to break the rules, and Remus had to act according to his word, even though it was one stubborn Hufflepuff boy using rictusempra against another student, who was then lying in a ball of laughter on the floor, just to test the limits of his teacher. However, several wands were dislodged from the hands on the students who had to run around, chasing after them. The groups switched and it was no better, the teenagers becoming more agitated as they persistently tried to get the spell right.

"You are doing fine, just focus on what you're trying to do." Remus calmly persuaded. He had hoped the disarming would frustrate them enough to focus on defending themselves, but it left them frustrated enough to want to give up. "Come on, just keep focusing. You're all very capable of this. Don't rush yourselves, just concentrate on the spell."

It took the full hour before a single person managed to create a shimmery blue arch against a blast of red sparks that flooded into the floor, an uproar of laughter and cheering for the one person who finally managed to do it right.


	64. Ambition

_Dear Remus,_

 _Hope you're feeling well with the upcoming full moon. If you get to feeling bad, please don't make yourself suffer through it, love. I know, you don't want to be a bother, but we're supposed to look after you. If you get to running a fever, I doubt Madam Pomphrey is going to reprimand you that badly for asking for a potion to talk. Try to get some rest if you can. Don't worry about responding immediately._

 _Just as a reminder, p_ _lease_ _remember_ _to take your potion and please keep away from the shrieking shack if you can help it. I know what you're going to say, but I don't trust that place. It's old and if you fall or hurt yourself, I don't want you getting stuck somewhere._

 _Teddy's still not been sleeping as well since you left, but we're still working on it. And since I had to have a talk with him, he still wants to know why Daddy wasn't coming home. I keep saying that you're ill and we don't want to get sick and that everything will be fine, but you know how fixated he gets. We've got questions to answer, so be prepared when you come home. Also, he's exceedingly curious in the whole "What's magic and what's muggle" thing this week (example: how he's not allowed to show strangers how he can change his face in different human-animal creatures whenever I take him out). Thankfully, he hasn't blurted anything out in public yet, but if he says anything innapropriate, you can bet I'll be blaming it on our very imaginative kid._

 _I swear, he's growing taller everyday. Honestly, where's the time gone? Two and a half years old already... practically three! (Won't lie, I caught myself crying the other day when I saw how some of his "too big" clothes are fitting him now)._ _And his hair! I don't remember being that creative when I was two. He enjoys trying to look like people, but frankly it's more terrifying than sweet... Maybe it's a boy thing, I dunno, but he tried growing fangs at one point. That's getting harder to hide._

 _I've not exactly been feeling all that wonderful lately. I thought Teddy was bad, but this is going to kill me, I think._ _Can't even get the cat food out without gagging. Molly said something once about how nausea means it's a girl, but I was like this with Teddy, wasn't I? And I feel like I've been hit by a bus. Doesn't matter how much I sleep, it feels like I can't leave the bed at all._ _I'm sure you just love hearing me complain through the mail, so I'll cut that out._

 _That's all I know for now, I think._

 _Lots_ of _Love,_ _Dora_ and

 _Teddy_

The boy's signature was scrawled on the bottom beneath his mother's neatest handwriting. It was her more legible "work writing", otherwise her words would have strung together in almost unreadable cursive.

Remus smiled at the letter lying on his desk, reading it over and over. His thoughts were interrupted when someone knocked on the door.

"Professor Lupin?" A voice asked warily from the door.

"Yes?" He asked, straightening up in his chair.

One of his fourth year Slytherin students walked in. He recognized her, though her name seemed to evade him. She had an older sister and the pair had similar names-Claire and Colleen-but he could never keep the two straight. "Is this your planning hour? You aren't busy, are you?"

"No, of course not." Remus smiled politely. "Is something wrong?"

"No." The girl said, almost forcing the words out. She held out a paper to him from behind her back. "Yes. I came to turn in the essay you assigned. I'm sorry..."

"The essay? From last week?" He asked.

She held out a paper to him, too embarrassed to look at him. "Yes. That one. And I know you have to take a late grade, I'm sorry, I couldn't find a time to bring it in when everyone wasn't looking at me-"

He shook his head, staring at the essay. "Don't apologize. Could you at least tell me... _why_ are you turning it in so late?"

"I _can't_ fail this class. I don't want a zero on it. Please, I'm _sorry_ -"

"You don't have to apologize. I'll have to take some points off of it. You won't get a zero... but _why?_ Did you forget about your assignment? Was there a problem with it? I just want to understand-"

"I-" She turned away shamefully. "No. It's not about the assignment. It's about _me._ "

"Here, you don't have to stand. Do you want to talk about this?" He looked around for a chair.

"No." The girl was beginning to break down. She let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I do."

"Okay. Then let's talk. It's... Claire, right? I'm not as good with names as I used to be." Remus summoned one of the chairs beside his desk. "What's going on?"

She went quiet, her mouth hanging open to say something, but didn't at first. "I... I don't know _why_ I'm like this. I don't know _why_ I keep putting off my homework and keep putting it off. It's like I know it's due, but it's like I'm _scared_ to turn stuff in. Like... if I hold onto it, I don't have a reason that it can't be good."

"What are you afraid of happening?"

"I guess... I guess I'm afraid of failing. It's like if I don't do it, then I can't do it wrong."

"Well I assure you, the only way you can really fail this class is to not do the work."

"Yeah, it's stupid, I know." She shook her head, staring down at her lap. "I've had teachers just... just be _rude_ to me, to other students because of their work. I dunno-"

"It's not stupid, just... don't make a habit of it. I'll take a few points off, but please don't be afraid that I'm going to chastise you because your essay wasn't _perfect_. If it's tangible and meets what I asked, then there shouldn't be a problem." He paused, thinking back to some of her previous papers and pop quizzes. "Was there anything else you needed?"

"No."

"Are you _sure?"_

"Um... no." The girl paused. "I know I don't need to say this, but I've been... um... copying some of the homework too. I just got so busy... I'm trying to stop that too. If you want to take off for that on last Friday's quiz, I might as well come clean now, because I got sat next to one of the _smart_ kids-"

"I already figured as much." He nodded, trying to keep from coming across smug. "You all are _very_ bad cheaters."

"It's _that_ obvious?" She asked curiously.

"You don't even reword your answers or change the format."

"Oh, right. Yeah." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going to encourage you to cheat because we both know it's not going to get you very far anywhere, but as a word of advice, if you're going to put a minimal effort in your work, at least make it look convincing." He told her in a low voice.

"Yes, Sir." She nodded.

"But as far as everything else goes, I understand where you're coming from." Remus explained. "I just have to ask that you try to stay on top of assignments from now on, okay? It doesn't have to be perfect and I don't expect that from any of you. I wouldn't expect that from _anyone_. Believe me, you're taking this from the world's biggest perfectionist."

"Yes, Sir."

"And no more cheating?" Remus asked.

"No more cheating." The girl agreed.

"Good." He reached over, patting on her shoulder. "I really do think you have the potential to be a great student, you just need to learn how to _use_ that potential."

"Yes, Sir." The girl stood up to leave. "Thank you so much. I'll get it together, I promise. I won't let you down."

"Just do your best." Remus advised as she glanced back at him when she backed out the door.


	65. A Sense of Dread

**AN: Three updates??? In four days??? I could probably space these out better, but oh well. Here's a treat.**

Mrs. Weasley distributed tea to the three people sitting around the table, dodging out of the way of the small boy. Teddy was alternating between jumping up and down on his toes and spinning in circles in the middle of the kitchen in the Burrow.

"Teddy, don't you want to sit down and wait for your father?" Bill Weasley asked warily.

"No!" The boy smiled, still jumping up and down.

Fleur was sitting sideways in her chair at the end of the table and she shook her head at him, chuckling. Victoire had grown a lot and was five months old now, propped up on her mother's lap. She looked like her mother, with blonde hair and shimmery blue eyes. Teddy skipped over to her, stopping his jumping and putting his hands on Fleur's knees, making faces at the baby. He changed his hair to a pale pink, what he assumed to be the baby's favourite colour, and she made grabby hands to him. Teddy planted a kiss on her forehead like his parents always did to him.

The baby giggled and the little boy scrunched up his nose at her, making his hair change to different colours.

"'e iz going to be a good big brother, I sink." Fleur smiled.

"I hope so." Tonks sighed happily, resting her hand on her stomach.

Teddy made faces at the baby, sticking his tongue out at the girl. He would change his hair from pink to orange to purple like a sunset, her hand grabbing ahold of a lock of his hair.

"Teddy, 'e will pull on 'our hair." Fleur warned and pried the little girl's fingers off. She turned to face the table and Teddy ran around her to his own mother, pulling himself up on her lap with a sort of struggle, slumping over against her chest.

"How's Arthur doing?" Tonks asked as Mrs. Weasley sat down beside her.

"Oh, he's doing fine." She smiled. "He's had a breakthrough at the office and got a bunch of new muggle things to play with. You have no idea how excited he is. Between that and Victoire, I swear, you'd never see him around."

"Must be great for you all, finally having your own grandbaby to fuss over." Tonks laughed.

"Oh, of course." Mrs. Weasley reached to her other side to see the baby, who latched onto her fingers.

"I think she and Teddy have been conspiring already." Bill smiled, taking a sip of his tea. "She's going to start crawling soon and Merlin knows what they're going to get into together."

"You'll keep Victoire in check, won't you? Make sure she doesn't make too much trouble?" Tonks asked the boy. He scrunched up his face and she wiggled her nose at the boy, making him laugh.

"Iz it 'ard for 'ou?" Fleur asked worriedly, turning to her friend. "Without Remus around?"

"It's a bit difficult sometimes, but we're okay, aren't we, Teddy?" Tonks said encouragingly. "Some days are bad, but... I think we're alright. Honestly, I think once the baby gets here and I get back on my feet, everything'll calm back down."

"We're always here to help, Tonks." Bill stressed. "We've been saying forever, if you ever need time off, we can help you out. I mean, I think you're very capable of being a good mother, don't get me wrong, but you've got a lot on your plate all by yourself."

"Thank you." Tonks nodded earnestly. "You all have done so much already, I have no idea how to thank you."

The kitchen door opened and Remus, accompanied by Arthur Weasley, talking to each other. Remus looked tired with heavy circles around his eyes, but was smiling beside Mr. Weasley, who was laughing, his hand on Remus's shoulder.

"Hello." Remus smiled, taking his bag off his shoulder and setting it over the chair.

"Wotcher, hon." Tonks smiled, looking over her shoulder to see her husband.

Teddy perked up grinning in excitement, pushing away from his mother. "Daddy!"

"Dora, you don't have to get up. Please don't st-" Remus tried to stop her, but she was already up. Tonks pushed herself up from the table with a bit of an effort, holding the toddler on her hip, her hand resting on her stomach.

"I'm all good. Don't fuss over me." She smiled politely and pecked a kiss on his cheek.

Remus shook his head at her. "How are you, Little Man?" He asked the boy, shaking his hand with his finger. "How is everyone?"

"I'm good!" Teddy reached out towards his father, who took the child into his arms. In his place, his mother's hands pressed against her sides.

"You're getting big, aren't you, Teddy?" Remus asked. "I hadn't noticed the last time I was home

"I got taller!" The boy smiled. "And I didn't fake it this time!"

 _"This_ time?" Remus laughed.

"Nope!" Teddy smiled happily. "I growed all on my own!"

"You _grew_ all on your own?" His father chuckled.

"Yeah!"

"And _you_ ," Remus his wife with his free arm. "I swear, I think _you've_ grown bigger, too! I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

"A few weeks'll do that." Tonks laughed nervously. "And for your information, _I_ haven't gotten taller since I was _thirteen_ , thank you very much. So I don't know what you're referring to." She teased, putting her hands on the sides of her hips.

"You look great." He commented in a soft voice as his kissed the top of her head. "You look like you've actually got some energy now. Not that you ever looked bad, mind you."

"I feel drained, in all honesty." She confessed. "Fleur and I had actually just been talking about the appointment I had with that muggle doctor last week..." In watching his face, she noticed his hair was thinning out in places as her fingers brushed through it, but not greying as rapidly as it had in the past. Dark bags still weighed down the bottom of his eyelids, the skin on his face rough where it wasn't scarred with long white lines. He definitely could use washing and shaving his face and some good sleep, but Tonks knew all that had to wait until the full moon passed just two nights before. Out of exhaustion, he had probably tried to do nothing but sleep since. She made mental note of a long cut across his cheek that hadn't been there before, and how his shoulders slumped over in defeat.

In a low voice, she asked him. "You're overworking yourself, aren't you? That's why you stayed longer this time?"

"No, playing catch up after the full moon." He shook his head. "I'm alright, Dora, I promise. There's no need to worry yourself sick over me."

"Well, y _ou're_ the one that looks sick, I think." Tonks frowned.

"Eh," Remus shrugged stiffly and looked away, his fingers running through his hair. "Just tired... like I _always_ am." He tried to joke, but she saw through it.

Her eyebrows wrinkled together in concern at him as she eyed his fingers, which had been meticulously wrapped at the knuckles like they were when he nervously chewed on his fingers.

" _I_ _told you_ not to bite your fingers." She told him in a low voice.

" _I'll_ be fine. _You_ said you wouldn't worry too much over me."

"And how'd you think that was going to work?" She replied dryly, pulling away to return to her seat, still bothered by his appearance.

"Molly made tea if you'd like some." Arthur commented lightly, pouring his own into a mug with a picture of a cat on it.

"Can I have some?" Teddy wondered.

"Uh, no." His father threw in quickly. "Not for children. You wouldn't like it anyways, I'm afraid."

Other converstaion popped up around the kitchen and when Fleur leaned over in her seat to talk to her friend, her quiet voice was hidden behind talk of Arthur Weasley's new PC. "What 'appened to 'is face?" She wondered. "I sought all of 'iz scarz were old, not new. I didn't... I'm sorry, I didn't know 'e... 'is face just..." Fleur stumbled over her words, but Tonks understood her.

Tonks still eyed her husband in concern. "He doesn't usually leave visible marks anymore, I know. Means he's got a lot on his mind right now."

Fleur looked concerned. " 'ou don't mean...?"

Tonks cut her off. Her hands restlessly wrapped around her middle. "I don't know."


	66. Stifling Fears

Tonks nuzzled into her husband's arms. He was heavily snoring right in her ear, his face buried in her hair. She didn't mind though, smiling to herself and running her fingers through his hair. He needed to wake up soon, she knew, or he'd complain about sleeping in too late or not being up when Teddy woke up, even if he deserved it.

Remus's breathing steadily changed from a snore as he slowly began to wake up.

"Wotcher." She whispered, smiling against his ear.

"Mor-" He interrupted himself with a yawn. "-ning... have you been up long?"

"Not really." She said, cradling his face with her hands. He smiled and blinked his eyes back shut, his arms wrapping tighter around her middle, his hands creeping up the back of her shirt.

"Did you sleep alright?" Remus asked, leaning up and kissing her. The two locked together for a moment, happily twisting into each others's arms, his hands snaking up her back as he pulled himself up onto his side from his back.

"Yeah." She giggled softly, drawing him back into her grasp. "Stop it, you're tickling me-"

"Hmm?" He smiled, not opening his eyes as brushed his nose against hers.

Her hand rubbed circles over her stomach. A small foot kicked at her side, hard enough that Remus could feel it on his own side. He gave a small laugh, burying his face in her neck. "I love you too." Tonks yawned. "I guess the baby's up."

"Good morning to you too, then." Remus said quietly, closing his eyes, and wrapping his hand over his wife's.

"Hey, can we talk about something?" Tonks asked.

"Of course we can." He looked up at her, pulling away slightly to be in a better position to have a conversation with her. "What's going on?"

"I'm worried about you." She confessed. "You were gone for almost a month last time. I'm not angry at you for being gone, that is. You still wrote letters like you said you would and I know that you really do care a lot about your job. Just... I missed you and then you come back, you look like you got the shit beaten out of you. What happened last time that hasn't happened any other time? Is it the students on your mind? Is it me? Is it the baby? You're just not usually like this..."

In all truthfulness, Remus couldn't quite focus on exactly what she was saying, trying his best to respond. "It was a rough full moon and I got into an accident. I-"

"An accident? Remus, where were you? The shrieking shack?" Her eyes quickly glanced over his visible skin. "Where else were you hurt?"

"It was just on my face. I must've turned the wrong way. It happens all the time, Dora." His voice wasn't convincing

"So it wasn't intentional?" Tonks clarified.

"No. Not... no. I wan't trying to do anything."

"You weren't trying to hurt yourself?" She continued to press him

"No, Dora. I'm fine. You're worrying needlessly." He tried to assert himself as confident, but still, she saw straight to his evasiveness.

"Am I?" Her arms crossed.

"You're being paranoid, Darling." He scoffed.

"Am I?"

"I just meant you..." He gave a frustrated sigh. "...you're jumping to the worst conclusion!"

"You always have bad moons when you're being bothered by something." Tonks pointed out.

"And I have bad moons when I'm not." Remus shot back in an agitated tone.

"So I'm being paranoid by caring about your well-being?"

"Dora, honey, you're being paranoid because you're assuming that I'm hurting myself because of you."

"I did not say that. You were the one who mentioned me, so what's on your mind? Remus, look at me-" She tried to draw him back in, but he refused to look at her.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you! I don't! What can I say to make you feel better about this?" Remus finally snapped. "Yes, I have a lot on my mind, but I don't know what to say to make you feel better about it!"

"You could sure start by being honest and not trying to call me crazy."

"I did not call you crazy-"

"Then will you tell me what the hell is going on that you're all of a sudden hurting yourself like this?!" Her voice was now well raised above his angrily. "God! Am I really asking for that much?!"

"Sometimes I don't know how to handle myself, alright!" Suddenly, it all came spilling out from his bottled up emotions. The two were now full-on arguing as things began to surface. "Sometimes I get worried that you're throwing up more than usual or you're having back pain because of me! I get caught up on this idea that one of you three is going to die because of me! That some day, our kids are going to look back and say 'oh, I never realized how my father was a piss-poor excuse of a parent'. Sometimes I think that maybe I don't deserve any of you and sometimes I get so caught up and the next thing I know..."

Tonks's voice was firm and angry, but not in the spoeatic way her husband's was. He tried to sit up to get out if bed before she drew him back in. "Look at me, why do you think that? You're a wonderful father, you're a terrific husband, and you're a brilliant role model. Talk to me, what has got you feeling like this?"

"How am I supposed to be a good father when-and I know I'm not exactly the breadwinner here-I can't keep a financially stable job long enough to pay for food, for clothes, for school... Hell, I might not make it out of this school term alive, much less employed. You're sick because of me, which I can't help but associate that to something being wrong with you or the child, Teddy and-and- my own children don't have anything to be proud of." He ranted heatedly. "Every month, I'm needlessly putting you in danger when I can't even take care of my family because I'm so tired all the damn time, I can hardly function. I can't even be here for you when you need me."

"This is a two way street, Remus. You're not in this by yourself, do you understand? We're supposed to support each other in our times if need, not beat ourselves up because we can't do all the supporting our self. And I can't think of a single damn reason our children wouldn't want to look up to you." She stated firmly. "You are an example of someone who's fought adversity and come out on his own two feet. You are a good example of character because you could choose to sit around a sulk about your problems, but you've fought through them. When you give up like this, you are the one giving into your own beliefs."

He laid on his back, thinking wordlessly.

"Remus?"

"I-" He didn't continue.

"Come on, what is it?"

"Nothing." He replied.

"Then why are you sulking?"

"I'm not sulking."

"Then what would you call it?" Tonks pressed.

Remus stayed quiet for a long while, but Tonks waited for him to continue himself. He didn't. He completely refused to fight back with her, instead, he laid and stared at the ceiling. His wife wanted nothing more than to ask if he felt defeated or was just restraining himself.

"I shouldn't have been so harsh on you." Tonks confessed. "I'm sorry, but I'm more concerned about you."

"I know you are." He turned back to face her, giving her a weary smile. "And I love you for keeping me from the brink of insanity."

"We all need it some times." She smiled back faintly. "But you have to stop hurting yourself. Promise me, if you promise nothing else, you aren't going to harm yourself like this. I know you can't do much when you're transforming but please, can you try for me?"

"I will." He nodded. Remus leaned over and pressed a kiss of her forehead. "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

"You needed to. You needed to get your thoughts sorted out." Tonks assured him. "Can we talk about one more thing?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm thinking... I'm thinking about picking up a few extra hours at work. Nothing dangerous, I promise, but I think we should at least consider... perhaps moving if you get a more permanent job next year."

Remus thought for a moment and turned to look up at his wife. "Moving?"

"If we can save up some money, we could get a place in Hogsmeade. I know, I know, hang on, I just wanted to say that maybe we could find a place with three bedrooms. I know I can't exactly duel or anything right now, but I know I can get a few extra hours at my desk at work. They need extra people there right now. I mean, damn, I'm falling over Teddy here as it is, I don't know how we're going by in such a small area with two of them running around."

"Dora," Remus laughed. "You'd hate sitting around, twiddling your thumbs all the time. I know you; you'd go absolutely mad."

"I know, but if we can just get some money together, I think we could get something figured out." She persuaded. "Remus, if you get a job at the school, you can't just keep going back and forth like this. We're already going through so much floo powder when you're not apperating, which mind you is proving to be a bit difficult, given how suspicious it looks here, when you're out working and we don't even have a car, and the obvious inability to disapperate from the school. I mean really, at this point, you're already practically walking from Hogsmeade."

"There's no proof that I'm going to get a job at the school next year." Remus pointed out.

"You don't know that they won't offer to reapply for a more permanent position. That's why I think we should keep our ears open for more information."

"Well what if they don't? I'm going to start working somewhere else as soon as possible, of course, but until I have a secure income, I'm not sure if we can afford it."

"We aren't exactly broke, you do know that right?" Tonks said softly. "I mean, we aren't exactly rolling in money and I know we can't just throw it around on anything we want, but we're going to need to have more room eventually. We moved here as a couple in hiding. We never planned on having two kids here."

"Dora," He sighed, smoothing out her hair on top of her head. "I just don't think we can do this right now. And besides, you're _nearly seven_ months pregnant. Do you _actually_ think you can manage all this with a baby and a toddler?"

"You're probably right there." She remarked.

"I'm not trying to delegitimize you either, but you did something like this with Teddy, if you don't remember. You know, the whole nesting thing."

"Did I?" She laughed. "Yeah, I think I remember. I think you were too afraid to say anything to me, weren't you?"

"Dora, you were practically in labour, on your hands and knees, organizing all of the cabinets in your mother's house. I thought if I stopped you, you might try and hex me."

Tonks laughed again. "Come on, you know I wouldn't have done anything like _that."_

"Oh, yeah, sure, you certainly were kind the whole time you were doped up on potions and in labour." Remus teased his wife.

She gave a hum of a laugh. "Sorry 'bout that." Tonks pecked him on the lips before her smile changed to frowning. "This is... a bit scary, you know? Having to do all that all over again."

"We'll be better prepared this time." He told her. "I'll be right there for you, you know that. It won't be like last time."

Last time had been a scary endeavour for everyone involved. Having no clue what to expect, Tonks was left struggling through her contractions for hours of tears. Remus felt guilty, and at least somewhat responsible, when there wasn't enough pain potions in the house, caused by their shortage in Wolfbane potion. What they did have got mixed with half a bottle of firewhiskey in a bad descision, then leaving Tonks intoxicated as she fought through her labour. It took hours they never thought would end, and points Andromeda thought her daughter might not have even lived through it, but they all made it out the other side with a healthy and happy Teddy.

"I'm not going to let that happen again." Remus assured kindly, combing his fingers through her hair. "I'm not going to put you in danger like that needlessly again-"

"It wasn't _needlessly."_ Tonks said softly. "We could've been _murdered_ , you know."

"You know," He remarked. "That's something I think we can say about several instances in our lives and that's kind of terrifying to think about."

The two were quiet for a moment, tangled in each other's arms, and listening to the other's breathing.

"We need to get up." Remus told his wife.

She buried her face in his chest and groaned. "I don't feel that great."

"You're just saying that." He replied. She gave another tired groan and pulled him back closer to her body. "Dora, come on-" Remus chuckled, trying to pull her up, but she stayed latched one, hiding her smile. "Come on, I know I'm parenting two here, but you can't be one of them."

Tonks turned to him and pouted mischievously. "And what are you going to do about that?" He pushed her back down against the mattress, tickling at her sides until her face became almost as pink as her hair with laughter and her arms relaxed when he bent down to kiss her, still trying to catch her breath. She shook her head at him. "You're the worst, I swear."

"I try to be." He smiled, and kissed the end of her nose.

She stopped him before they got up. "And you promise not to hurt yourself like that from here on out?"

"I'n not going to hurt myself." Remus confirmed. "I haven't and I don't plan on it. Besides, it's not like we need an extra hospital bill to pay."

The two weren't even sitting up when the bedroom door opened and for a moment, both parents had forgotten that Teddy had been talked into sleeping in a "big" bed (They had finally moved him out of his old bed, taking the mattress out and laying it on the floor, convincing him that it was an upgrade from his old bed since he was getting bigger). It was still one of his first few nights and he didn't want to sleep through it without waking up his parents, who were just trying to stay patient and get him into a routine.

Tonks slid back down under the sheets and held her finger up to her lips as the door behind her husband not-so-quietly closed behind the toddler.

"Mummy? Daddy?" The little boy's voice carried. Remus looked over at his wife and simply rolled his eyes. Teddy walked around the bed to his mother, reaching up high enough to grab ahold of her shirt and tug on it. "Mummy? Wake up!" He urged in a loud whisper. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Who is it?" Tonks asked, pretending to be half asleep.

"It's Teddy!"

"Teddy who? I don't know any Teddys..."

"Mummmmyyyyy..." The boy whined.

"Whaaaat?"

"You have to get up!"

She turned over onto her side. "I'm just playing, Teddy." His mother assured.

"I want up too!" He exclaimed.

Remus sat up. "Well come over here, I'll help you up."

"What do you say?" His mother reminded him.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" He stomped his way around the bed, leaping into his father's arms. Remus picked the boy up, dramatically falling back down onto the mattress and bringing the laughing little boy down with him.

Teddy buried himself under the comforter, his mother wrapping her arms are him. "We can't make a habit of this, alright? You have to learn to sleep in your own bed." Remus said sternly, climbing back under the covers with the rest of his family.

"I will!" Teddy stated, nuzzling his face against Tonks's chest.

"Wait," She turned into a more comfortable position. "Okay, I'm sorry. Now you can snuggle with me. I know, I'm not as fun to snuggle up to now that the baby's gotten in the way."

"How much longer before it gets here?" Teddy wondered.

"About three more months maybe, give or take some." His mother explained.

"Theystillaren't big enough?"

"Stillnot big enough." She chuckled, shaking her head, and wrapping her arms around the little boy, her fingers playing with his hair. "You can still have usallfor yourself for a while."


	67. Deafeningly Quiet

The first hour class was half asleep. The older students had managed to "sneak" food in, while most of the sixth years had their heads on their desk, some groaned as they pulled out their notes from their bags. It was very clearly another long Monday morning.

"How was everyone's weekend?" Remus asked, taking out his lesson plan.

Someone sighed loudly. Another head hit the desk. Several people shot him dirty glares.

"It was okay." Nicholas Higgins replied amongst the voices nonchalantly. Of all if them, he seemed to be the only one wide-eyed and patiently eagar to listen (at least for now, both of those were true and expected to be short lived).

"Did anyone do anything exciting?" There were a few snickers from the students that talked quietly to each other. "Let me rephrase that, did anyone do anything exciting that is appropriate to discuss in front of the class without getting me in trouble?" No one spoke up that time, returning to their seats from their leaned over huddled conversation, trying to hide their smiles.

"Oh, shut up." A Gryffindor girl named Heather scoffed in annoyance or defeat, and rolled her eyes. "How are you, Professor? Did you have a good weekend?"

He tried to smile. "I did. I got to go home, see my family, so that was nice. I didn't exactly get a break from the noise, but it was fine nontheless..."

"Did you go see your parents or something?" Someone piped up.

"No, just my wife and our son." Remus replied simply.

"How old is your son? Is he coming to school here?"

"Not quite, he's only two right now." He sighed, smiling to himself. "He's a bit of a fussy kid right now. I didn't exactly get much quiet time, but it's no matter... does anyone have any thoughts on the game from Saturday they'd like to share?" Remus asked. "I didn't get to go, but I heard it was pretty brutal."

Now there was a heated back and forth discussion between most of the students who cared to lift their head, talking over each other in a

"I thought it was boring, honestly." The Higgins boy threw in amongst the chaos, turning to the teacher and slumping over on his arm. "And _I'm_ the _announcer_."

"Shh, shh, shh. One at a time, please." Remus shook his head and pointed over at a Gryffindor girl who was trying to speak. "Heather, what were you saying?"

Heather straightened in her seat. "I just thought that it's unfair that this year the Ravenclaw team is only made of guys. No girls made the cut. I mean, doesn't that make it an uneven playing field since all the other houses have girls?"

"You're not even in Relavenclaw." A boy in her house pointed out. "If you wanted to make our team, you should have practiced and tried out. But besides, our team's made of more experienced players. Tryouts were basically pointless this year."

"I mean seriously, how can you say it's even when an all guys team wins because it is more aggressive-"

"Well what do you think of the Holyhead Harpies then?"

"That's _professional_ quidditch-"

The students were glad to get out of notes for a few minutes because of their debate, but they finally calmed back down to start class.

Anyways, now that we're starting the new quarter, we're going to be starting on nonverbal spells."

"I hate to admit, while this is important for you to learn, I have to teach this for your NEWTs. First, we'll start with one of the very first charms you ever learned: Wingardium Leviosa."

"Before we begin however, I must ask you all: does anyone own a wand made out of dogwood tree?"

A couple of students raised their hands.

"I was sure we'd have a few, and I will warn you, we're going to be practicing something that not many people accomplish without a lot of difficulty and it's going to naturally be more difficult for you all in particular. And I want everyone to know not to be too hard on yourselves. You won't master this in one day." Remus told them, leaning back on his desk. "For some reason that I couldn't tell you, dogwood wands are more 'noisy' than other wands and hold an energy that keeps you from performing spells as easily. From personal experience, I have a wife at home with a dogwood wand, a well-trained auror mind you, who will still fling things at walls when she tries to summon them, has broken plates when she's tried to wash dishes, and has gotten herself drenched with water when she's tried to water plants. So for now, we're going to try to perform _simpler_ spells on quills before we try defensive and offensive spells."

A couple people laugged lightly. There was a roused buzz as students, who whipped their heads around, talking to each other, most of them fully awake now.

"Does anyone have a quill I could use?" Nicholas Higgins asked, turning around in his chair.

Remus was puzzled by his question. "How do you... how do you not have a single quill with you?"

"I just don't." The student shrugged.

"Then what do you write with?"

"I don't."

"You don't what?"

"I don't do write anything."

"Don't your _parents..._ _pay_ for you to come to school here?"

"Yeah."

"So you... you use their generosity by not putting initiative into your work?" Remus asked.

Again, the boy seemed unfazed. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Alright, well, if you ever decide you need to use school supplies, I would be happy to lend them to you."

"Professor?"

"Yes?" He sighed.

"Could you _'lend'_ me a quill?"

"I'm not getting it back, am I?"

"No, probably not."

He stared up at the ceiling for a moment before walking over to his desk, picking up a quill and taking it to the boy's desk, but didn't hand it to him. "If you're going to steal all my office supplies, can I at least know you're somewhat greatful?"

"N-" Nicholas pondered this for a moment. "Thank you?"

"Thank you." The professor smiled at him and handed it to him. "I think you need it more than I do anyways."

Hopefully, Remus had assumed that the noise would die back for the hour, and for his other sixth year class. Instead, in an unsurprising feat, they managed to produced the most amount of noise, consisting mainly of laughter, a small explosion, at least two chairs falling over, one student unsurprisingly trying to knock over a desk, the student ending up on _top of_ , then said student proceeding to fall off their chair, and a variety of vulgar and creative swear words that left even the teacher laughing behind his hands at his desk. This amounted to the point that Professor Flitwick came storming in angrily, exclaiming how his fifth years weren't ever going to focus on their OWLs with the amount of clamour, and left threatening to cast a silencing charm if they continued to interrupt with their bouts of yelling.


	68. Recovery

"I hate that they have to do that to you." Tonks sighed, shaking her head. The couple was sitting in an exam room in St. Mungo's, Remus sitting up on the exam table, his wife in the chair beside him. She had tried to pick up a magazine beside her arm and flip through it, but the moving pictures bored her. She had too much on her mind right now.

"If the old way works, then why do it more efficiently?" Remus said dryly. He poked at the bandage on his elbow, rolling his sleeve down stiffly.

"God, I hate those things." She shook her head. "The _needles_."

Her husband shrugged. "You know these sort of things work differently for me. They can't just flick their wands and tell me what's wrong with me."

Tonks scrunched up her mouth in thought. "I'm still not sure about this." She declared. "I mean, what are we doing here?"

"Come on, Dora, they just made us an offer. If no one steps up, then we aren't going to get anywhere." He said.

"But is all of this worth-"

Tonks was cut off by a healer knocking on the door. A man in healer's robes and wire frame glasses walked in, smiling at the couple. He nervously shook their hands. "Hello, Mr. Lupin. Mrs. Lupin." He nodded. "My name's Healer Giles and I've been assigned to your case."

"Hello." Remus smiled politely.

"So, I'm sure you two know why you're here, correct?" The man asked.

"Yes, I think so." Tonks said and looked over at her husband. "Our regular healer ushered us over here to you for a consultation. Something that we're elgible for?"

"It's an experimental treatment, correct?" Remus wanted to confirm. "I went in for my annual visit and the healer told me to come here and consult with you, but he wasn't exactly clear."

"For right now," The healer acknowledged. "We're going to start with trying what we believe to be improved versions of the Wolfsbane potion. While we're doing that, we'll be working on a possible cure for this."

"Excuse me? _Cure?"_ Tonks cut in, straightening up in her seat. "A cure for werewolves?"

"Yes!" The healer smiled. "Well we... we don't have any progress on that yet, so I can't say for certain where we're headed on this or if a cure is even possible. But if it is possible, we want to do what we can to help you two."

"Well, where do we begin?" Remus asked. "How does this work?"

"Right," Healer Giles took out the clipboard from his pocket. "The initial problem with our situation is the lack of test subjects and sample sizes. There's been a... _stigma_ about werewolves and government-funded programs the past few years, as I'm sure you're already well aware of. The legislature, the inventory... you know what I mean, so inviting people in and telling them their names will be written down so they can have Wolfsbane given to them seems like a red flag, especially with the potion being just under ten years old."

"People are still _that_ scared..." Tonks remarked, glancing over to her husband. "Or maybe we're _that_ stupid."

"Oh no, ma'am. We don't intend to harm anyone during this process, though it is potentially a very dangerous liability." The healer nodded. " _And_ given the fact that there is typically only twelve full moons per year, on top of so few patients, we expect this is going to be a very long process. But as far as the actual testing, we're going to start by observing you unmedicated for the first three months, then-"

"Sorry, _u_ _nmedicated?"_ Tonks interrupted. "For _three_ months? _Three_ moons?"

"It's just so that we can have a baseline examination." The healer explained. "We need to insure that all of our patients have a clean slate when they begin the trial."

"Why? Is it a different experience for different people or...?"

"No, Ma'am, but if we don't have the baseline, we wouldn't be able to progress forward with our replacement samples. It takes about ninety days for the potion to completely leave the body."

"Dora, I'll be fine. It's not like I'll be anywhere dangerous and I'll already be at the hospital if something goes wrong." Remus told his wife. He turned to her and took her hand in his. "If this could possibly help someone, then I am perfectly willing to make sacrifices for them, _especially_ if it's our own children."

"How do we know this is going to help at all?" Tonks asked. "Not that I'm skeptical of the process, but I'd like some peace of mind here. For _you,_ Rem."

"This _is_ a trial, and it could be a risky process." The healer explained warily. "If you all aren't comfortable with this, you have no obligation to undergo these tests. However, if you are willing, we would certainly be inclined to offer financial compensation."

"We aren't doing this for the money." Remus shook his head. "We just want... we just want the possibility that I could get better some day and we might be able to figure out if something is going on with our children and what it is. I mean, we don't know that there's anything wrong with Teddy, but what if there is and we just haven't picked up on it?"

"We might be able to help you, Mr. Lupin. We can't make promises, but if we can help you, we want to." He nodded. "And I can promise, acknowledging that werewolf transformations tend to be unbearably painful and maddening to the afflicted, we will be doing our best to protect you to the best of our ability: magical wards, pain potions, sedatives for the first three months-"

"Sorry, _sedatives?"_ Tonks cut in again, but Giles answered patiently.

"Yes, Ma'am. See, he can't really hurt himself if he's asleep."

"Never really thought about doing that." Remus mumbled.

The healer shuffled through his papers. "We would secure a safe room with shields and wards put up for you to stay in, as well as perform any warrented medical treatment before of after the full moon. Assuming all goes well, you could be back home with your family as soon as the next morning without hesitation."

Remus looked over to his wife, trying to hold back his excitement. "I think we ought to go ahead and start the process."

"Now hang on just a minute," Tonks warned. "What if things go badly? If everything went wrong, would we end up getting billed for it? If he gets _worse,_ are we suppose to shut up and hide away until the whole thing blows over?"

"That's not our intention, no." The healer shook his head. "We can't guarantee that this is completely safe or healthy, but we can guarantee that we will do our best to prevent accident and assess injuries in the most beneficial way possible. We aren't trying to scam you."

Remus thought for a moment and nodded. "I'll do it. I'll volunteer to help you all."

Tonks frowned. "I think we should _talk-"_

"Dora," He addressed her. "We're going to be fine. There's nothing for us to be afraid of or talk about."

His wife felt sick by her dismissal. Yet something in Remus's face brought her some joy, imagining him, healthy and whole and lively again, but fear surrounded her, replacing the initial surprise.

"When do we start?" Remus asked.

"If you'd like, we can start as soon as the next full moon. So it seems like... just next week." Healer Giles smiled and shook his hand again. "Looks like I'll be seeing more of you, Mr. Lupin. I can go get the paperwork, if you'd like to start filling it out."

"That'd be great." Remus squeezed his wife's hand. "The sooner we can begin, the sooner we can get something done about this."


	69. Distractions

Teddy's parents agreed not to explain to their son what was going on just yet. The full moon was approaching and instead of staying at work, Remus briefly came home after classes ended to see his wife.

"I don't know how I feel about this anymore..." Tonks shook her head, nervously fidgeting with her husband's coat.

"Come on, now, I'll be well taken care of." He said calmly, smiling encouragingly. "We're practically being paid for me to be watched over for the night."

"I know and that's why I'm worried about you." She confessed. Remus reached over and kissed the top of her hair. This was the happiest she had ever seen him before a full moon. "We're being paid to have you drink chemicals and _hope_ they don't kill you before your own body does."

"You weren't this cynical in the healer's office. What's changed?" Remus pointed out.

"Well I'm _sorry_ , but I'm really beginning to have second thoughts." Tonks replied. "I'm scared! I'll admit it!"

"Why?"

"I'm just thinking about everything that could go wrong." She crossed her arms, pulling away from him. "What if this is a scam or-or we're just the suckers falling for it? What if they have an ulterior motive? What if you get hurt? What if you get poisoned?"

"We've been over this-"

"I know we have, and I'm telling you, I'm having second thoughts." She persisted. "What if you get more sick? What if something happens to you?"

"I'm going to be fine, love." Remus kept reassuring her. "Tonight might not be a good night, but I'm going to come home tomorrow morning and nothing is going to change. I'm going to come home tomorrow and we're going to keep fighting like we do every other day. Even if tonight is good or bad, nothing is going to change. They aren't going to cage me up, they won't have someone hunt me down, they aren't going to drive needles into me for testing or anything else like that."

Tonks wasn't buying it. "You don't _know-"_

"We're all three going to be better protected like this and who knows, down the road, we might never have to worry about this again. I want you to know that I love you and if something does go wrong-"

Tonks began crying, and Remus halted momentarily to bring her back in to his arms, calmly rubbing her back. "If something goes wrong, then I don't want you to blame yourself or get angry with the healers. But I'm very confident in their abilities and I know that what we're doing is the right descision."

 _"I don't want to see you get hurt."_ Tonks cried despite trying to hide her face.

"I'll be fine, Dora. This us going to help me not to hurt anymore, even if it hurts for a little while right now. They're going to take good care of me, do you hear? They're good people and they aren't going to do anything to me." Remus reassured her. "I ought to head out. I'll never get all that paperwork signed in time and then I'll have to stay late tomorrow morning."

 _"Please just-"_ Tonks stopped herself short with a sigh, shutting her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you too." He said softly. "I'll be _right_ back here in the morning." Tonks stood alone in the living room, her husband disappearing through the floo network to the hospital.

She felt completely and utterly alone. This was their big secret. She couldn't vent her frustrations or even calmly break the news to her son. He needed to wake up from his nap anyways, so she decided to clean her face off and shove the treatment out of her mind for a while. His godmother had even wanted to invite them over, which felt like a perfect distraction.

Teddy had been asleep for the majority of the afternoon. His mother had been restless, trying to work from home, but now had a headache that made her think her head might actually split open. She couldn't be bothered to get anything done, taking her own nap at the kitchen table, her head laying on her folded arms.

"Teddy?" Tonks peaked her head in the boy's bedroom, rubbed her face to wake up. She flipped on the light and paced across the room to his bed, setting down on her knees beside him. She rubbed his back and kissed the top of his head. "Hey, honey," She gave him a friendly smile. "Are you awake?"

The boy groaned and buried himself deeper under the covers.

"Hey, come on, let's get up, huh?" His mother asked softly, brushing her fingers through her own hair. This morning, is was short and the colour of the sky. Half his hair became a sleepy red-violet as he woke up, his natural brown hair disappearing. She could never keep up with his eyes, but recently, he was discarding his natural brown for his father's light blue.

 _"No..."_ He said in a grumpy tone.

"You know, Dad and I are very proud of you for sleeping soundly in your own bed and you've been waking up on time, too." Tonks said encouragingly. "You've been doing really good the past few nights. Let's not mess that up, okay?"

He turned to her and pouted. "I'm asleep!" The boy exclaimed in a loud whisper, falling back over onto the bed, making overdramatic snoring noises to pretend he was sleeping.

"Hmm..." Tonks played along with matching devotion. "Well... I guess if he's _asleep..."_ She leaned over him, swiftly attacking his sides with tickles. He busted out in laughter and kicked his feet at her.

"No! _Mummy!"_ He shouted happily, rolling back and forth on his back with giggles.

"I thought you were asleep!" Tonks reached out, scooping him up in her arms, the boy still laughing as he gave her a limp hug. "What are you up to, you silly boy?"

"Nothing!" Teddy smiled innocently, wriggling away from her and standing up on her legs.

"Nothing?" She asked, tilting her head. "Well, let's get up, huh?"

"MmMm." He shook his head playfully and hiding his face away in her shoulder.

"What?" Tonks laughed. She carefully leaned backwards on her hands, the boy sitting up on her lap. "Come on," His mother brushed his hair back with her fingers before resting her hand on her stomach. "Aunt Ginny's back from her big quidditch game. We ought to go pay them a visit. What do you think about going over for dinner?"

He wrinkled his face in thought, his hair turning orange unconsciously, his pale cheeks freckling. "Aunt Ginny's home?" Teddy grinned up at her with bright eyes. "Did she win? Did she win?"

"I don't know, why don't we go ask her?" Tonks wiggled her nose against the boy's. He tried to mimic her gesture, but couldn't move his own nose quite right. "Hop up and we can get ready-"

Teddy quickly bounced to his feet, jumping up and down. "Mummy! _Come on!"_

"Hang on," Tonks struggled go get up off the floor, having to hang onto the dresser to stand up.

Teddy skipped into the kitchen. He was still disheveled from his nap, but was wide awake. "Someone had a good nap, didn't they?" She asked, following behind him.

"Yep!" The boy bounced on his toes. "Why are you sleepy? Do _you_ need a nap?"

"I took a short nap while you were out." She replied, holding out her hand to him. He walked over to his mother and reached up to hug her, Tonks wrapping her arm around him.

"Why?"

"I was just tired is all." She shrugged, the boy pulling away when she tried to fix his hair and clothes. "Did you have any dreams?"

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I don't remember." He remarked.

"Good! That means you didn't have nightmares and you got good sleep." Tonks assured. "You must've been tired."

"No!" He quickly corrected her.

She giggle and rolled her eyes. "Okay, Teddy Bear."

Ginny was delighted to see her godson. Recently, she had been invited to play quidditch for the famous Holyhead Harpies, even hinting at rumours of joining the team perminantly (with professional quidditch sometimes lasting long days, starting positions where someone was garunteed an important and memorable spot and team number were sometimes hard to come by). Currently, she was sporting a long red scab across her cheek from an encounter with a beater that tried to drag her across the ground.

"Did you win?" Teddy asked in awe. His Christmas gift of a broom was suspended just a couple of feet in the air, where his toes could still touch the floor if he needed.

The couple was residing in Grimmauld Place, but it looked nothing like Tonks remembered it. It was still vastly empty, but the colours were bright pastels and some of Teddy's toys scattered the hallway. In just a few months, the wallpaper and flooring had been replaced, and even parts of the ceiling and the lights had been redone. All of the mold, mildew, and dust had been cleared out, and there weren't any pests hiding in closets and cupboards. By some miracle, they had found a curtain thick enough to completely muffle Sirius's mother's yelling. Kreatcher had died. To honour him, Harry had hung his preserved head on the wall next to the others for just a day to honour him before stripping them all off. Grimmauld didn't feel so grim anymore.

Ginny was across from him with crossed legs. She would toss a soft practice quaffle to him and his job was to block it from landing in the waste bin behind him. Teddy was rather fond of (and surprisingly good at) this game.

"We did." Ginny smiled, carefully bouncing the ball off the floor and towards the toddler. "We kicked their _butts_."

Teddy laughed, and veered himself over on the broom, stretching his arm out and blocking the ball, and sending it back to his aunt.

"I didn't know you're going to be a keeper when you grow up!" Harry exclaimed, sitting down next to Tonks on their sofa handing her a mug of tea, and holding onto the other in his hand. "He's a little quidditch prodigy."

"He's gonna go professional just like his aunt. Right, Teddy?" Ginny prompted and bounced the ball back towards him. He missed, wobbling off the broom, which fell onto the floor, with giggles to run after the quaffle. She stretched out on the floor as the boy ran back to her. He dropped the ball and tackled her chest with a hug. She fell over, hugging Teddy tightly to her chest. "Ugh, you're getting too big!" She cackled.

 _"Careful-"_ Tonks warned, leaning forward to intervene.

"Oh, he's _fine!"_ Ginny assured, blowing kisses on the boy's ear

Harry lowered his voice. "How's Remus doing?"

"We're um..." Tonks took a deep breath. "He's doing alright, I think. He's a bit boggled down with work right now is all."

"You two haven't been fighting, have you?" He voiced concern.

"What? Oh no, we've been fine. Still a bit worried about the baby maybe, but we're not fighting." Tonks shook her head. "No, he's alright with that, I think."

"Ooh, do you all have names yet?" Ginny cut in curiously. "Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

"We're trying to be surprised." Tonks replied lightly. "He's so _pretentious_ , I _swear._ I've just been wanting something simple, and he's trying to be all meaningful and all. I guess I shouldn't be surprised though. Only someone like him could fall in love with the name _Nymphadora._ I think for boys we've agreed and got it narrowed down to Elijah or Elliot. For girls, he wants something like Ellen or Evelyn."

"Awe, that's so sweet!" Ginny gushed.

"So when's your certification test?" Tonks asked Harry curiously. "Have you started the process yet?"

"I, uh," He chuckled nervously. "I sort of... I sort of _failed_ part of the test, so I have to wait to retake it."

"Failed?" Tonks nearly spit of her tea, setting her mug down on the table. "Which part?"

"Poisons and antidotes." Harry murmured embarrassed.

"Poisons and antidotes?" Tonks replied, even more shocked. "I thought you were good at potions! What happened?"

"Um, well..." Harry scratched at the back of his neck. "It's sort of a long story..."

"No it's not." Ginny smirked. "He got a textbook sixth year with all the answers in it, and during the test, he drank something and came home covered in bright blue boils and kept sneezing purple snot until he fainted in the middle of the kitchen because he couldn't remember which potion to use." Harry rolled his eyes at his wife, hiding his pink cheeks.

Tonks busted out with laughter, tossing her head back. "Oh, _come on,_ Harry! _Really?"_

"Yeah..." He shook his head.

"So how long does it take to wait?" She asked.

"Just a few weeks." Harry remarked.

"Well consider yourself lucky, Boy Who Lived," Tonks shook her head. "I had to wait... dunno, four months...? when I failed stealth and concealment."

"You must've _really_ done bad." He teased.

"I won't deny it." Tonks remarked. Teddy had jumped off of his aunt, who was still sprawled across the floor, and ran over to his mother. He grabbed her hand and pulled on her arm. "What is it, sweetheart?" She smiled.

"Come play!" Teddy bounced up and down, shaking her arm.

"Hon, I can't come play." Tonks frowned, unfolding her legs from underneath her. "I'm sorry."

"Why?" He asked.

"I can't play quidditch with you because of the baby."

The boy stared at his mother with frustration. "Fine."

"Oh now, don't pout." Ginny consoled, pulling herself up off the floor. Teddy turned to her and hugged her leg. "Come on, you've got meto play quidditch with." She leaned down and whispered something in his ear that made the two giggle.

Teddy broke off his grip on her thigh and walked over to his godfather, playfully slapping his leg. "Tag!" He and his godmother made a run for the dining room.

"Ginny!" Harry huffed and set his mug down and pushed himself off the couch. He turned to Tonks and rolled his eyes jokingly. "I'll be right back..."


	70. The Kitchen Ordeal

Teddy was... _confused._ He wasn't exactly _frightened_ , but the yelling from his parents did make him worried and he didn't understand why they were mad. He was certain _he_ wasn't the cause, but their loud voices were scary.

"If you used baking powder then just _admit it-"_

" _I didn't!_ _I swear,_ _I didn't!_ I _used_ baking soda!"

"Then where the _hell_ is the baking soda?!"

 _"I don't know!_ The butter _exploded_ and I was in such a hurry-"

" _The butter exploded?_ What were you trying to _do?"_ "I was _trying_ to melt it!"

"Why were you trying to _melt_ it? The recipe calls to _soften_ it."

"Then how is it supposed to properly mix with the other ingredients?"

"I'm _still_ looking for that baking soda!"

"Well I'm _sure_ I used _baking soda!_ "

"Well I don't know _why_ there isn't any in the cabinet!"

Teddy sat up from his spot on the living room rug and wandered over to the kitchen where his parents were, holding his favourite stuffed elephant by the ear. He held Howard up to is chest thoughtfully. Teddy had picked up his current lemon hair colour off of his mother's bright yellow Hufflepuff sweater.

"I just wanted to do something _nice_ For once..." Tonks mumbled, turning her back go her husband, rubbing her face. "And now I've messed _everything_ up... I _always_ mess things up..."

 _"Dora..."_ Remus sighed, hurrying across the kitchen to his wife. " _Just_ _let me help you."_

"I made such a mess." Tonks said under her breath, trying to scrub the counter clean of flour. "I am such a mess."

"You are not a mess." Remus told her. "I know you were trying to make a kind gesture, but you should have asked for help."

"You don't have to scold me." Tonks growled, glancing over her shoulder. "Stop looking at me in such an antagonizing way."

"You are not..." Remus shot back with annoyance.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. _I'm sorry._ " When she finally looked at her husband, and he could see that she was beginning to tear up. Tonks sniffled and wiped her sleeve under her eyes. "I made a mess of everything, and I'm _sorry_ , I'm not trying to-"

"You didn't mess everything up." Her husband told her softly. "Dora, you did _fine_. You just didn't read the directions carefully. So what? We have to start over. It's not like it's the end of the world."

"Just forget it." She shook her head. "It's not like it was _for_ anything, so what's the use?"

"Hey," Remus smiled weakly, walking over to her, and rubbing her shoulders before putting his arms around her. "You're fine. I'm the one who lost my patience. I'm sorry."

"I didn't mean to take this out on you. I-"

"It's _okay._ _I_ lost my temper with you when I shouldn't have. Come here, are you okay?"

Tonks shook her head, burying her face in his chest. He put his arms around her, gently rubbing her back.

"Oh great, and now I can't stop crying." She said bitterly with faster flowing tears. "I was being _stupid..."_

"No, you weren't." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

"Daddy?" Teddy frowned and looked up at his father, speaking in a quiet voice. He walked over to his father and hugged his leg.

Tonks quickly turned to see her son. "Teddy, you need to-"

"Are you fighting?" He asked.

Remus glanced over at his wife. "Yes... we're fighting, but we don't fight a lot. And we're done. We're done fighting right now."

Tonks nodded quietly, her face still hidden.

"Why are you fighting?" He asked.

"We're not fighting anymore, Teddy." Remus said, pulling back and picking him up onto his hip. Tonks wrapped her arms around arms around the two of them, wiggling her nose Teddy. "We just made some mistakes and we got frustrated is all. We're sorry. We promised not to fight around you."

"What are you making?" Teddy wondered curiously, looking over to the oven.

"Not much of anything right now." Tonks sighed and turned over her shoulder to the messy pans and bowls beside the sink. "Let's get this cleaned up. We can take another shot at some baking."

"I vote on brownies." Remus smiled. "Are you alright?"

Tonks nodded. She took out her wand, flicking it towards the mess on the counter. Spilled batter vanished eaily, but the spell sent a a plastic bowl spinning into the floor. "Oh, uh-"

"I've got it." Remus rolled his eyes at her, handing over the boy as he went to finish what she'd started.

"You know, I think we've got mix from the box... that'll be best, probably..." Tonks murmured thoughtfully. Remus was quietly laughing to himself. "What?"

The remains of the couple's failed baking scheme had been dealt with, and Remus faced his wife with a box of brownie mix behind his back. "You think you can manage it this time?" He smirked.

"Oh shut up." Tonks snorted. "Hand it over!"

"On one condition-"

"Okay, okay, I won't make a mess! Hand it over!" She reached for him with her free hand.

"Two conditions then." He grinned, and tapped his finger against his cheek.

"Oh, very _funny_ Tonks laughed, kissing his cheek.

"Ew!" Teddy scrunched up his face in disgust. "You're gross!"

"You know, you're going to grow up and get married one day, too." Remus teased him. "And we'll tell you how gross you are."

"But you're old." He whined, squinting his eyes.

"How old do you think we are?" Tonks laughed softly, smoothing out his hair. The terribly bright yellow became a mellow green.

Teddy thought for a second. "Um...like... thirty."

"Pretty close, buddy." Tonks shook her head with a smile. "But we're not old."

Teddy giggled. "Yes you are!"

"You're silly, aren't you?" His mother said playfully. "If you help, I bet Dad'll let you lick the spoon when we're done."

"I wanna help! I wanna help!" Teddy exclaimed, trying to climb down his mother.

"Can you go get me that blue bowl from the cabinet?"

"Yes, Mummy!" And off he ran.

"I've got a chair." Remus announced, dragging a chair from the table over. "I'm sorry for getting so upset with you." He said quietly.

"It's okay." Tonks shook her head. "I'm glad we got the stupid stuff off our chests. Makes it easier to focus on important things, I suppose."

He nodded. "I'm really sorry."

"I'm fine." She told him. "I'm _f_ _ine_ , okay? We _both_ yelled, we're _both_ sorry. It's over with."

"If you say so." Remus said in a solemn voice.

"Good." Tonks said lightly.


	71. A Late Christmas Present

Time seemed to fly by without the Lupins being able to keep up. They had fallen into a strict routine of Remus being home on the weekends that it made the weeks go by in such a hurry. Autumn didn't even seem to happen that year because of how cold it got so quickly. Christmas time was approaching and the students were anxious to finish their winter finals and head back home.

On Christmas day, the three of them had spent the day with the Weasleys (Molly had knitted a sweater that actually fit Tonks and Teddy had been made a new hat with a fluffy green ball on top of it). After a long day with "Grandma and Grandpa Weasley", Harry and Ginny, and subsequently Hermione, Ron, Fleur, Bill, and Victoire all came to their house. Tonks couldn't keep the house clean for two seconds before something else happened (Remus was amused by his wife chewing out Ron for tracking mud in on the carpet and the look on his face afterwards as he mumbled something about "if he'd wanted to see his mother, he would've gone to her house".) Teddy was just excited to have his dad to himself for a few extra days... and _have_ seemingly _everyone_ _else_ to himself for Christmas (which obviously was the objective of the get-togethers).

"Now how old are you?" His aunt Narcissa asked kindly, Teddy standing up on her knees. She and her sister were the last two lingering the Lupin household.

"Can you tell her how old you are?" His father prompted. Teddy smiled held up two fingers.

"Really? You've gotten so much bigger since I saw you last, Teddy. That's what they call you, isn't it?" Narcissa asked. In a way, Tonks was surprised that her aunt wasn't acting so stuck up, like the presence of the others was a burden to her. Though without her husband and son, she acted pleasant. She acted like she wanted to be there.

"You're not being a bother, are you, Teddy?" Tonks asked, perching herself on the armrest of the chair her husband was occupying. She looked a lot more like herself tonight, with wavy dark indigo hair that rested on her shoulders, half of it pulled up into a knot on the top of her head. She didn't quite feel like her ususal self. Despite her best efforts, even Remus picked up on her uncomfortable mannerisms.

Andromeda, who was sitting beside her sister, playfully pinched the boy's cheek. "He's our little Teddy Bear."

"He's fine!" Narcissa said nostalgically. "In all honesty, I do miss having a little one around. When we-" She stopped herself short.

"When what?" Tonks prompted.

"Oh, nevermind me." The blonde woman shook her head. "I'm sorry Draco and Lucius couldn't make it tonight. I apologize if I'm intruding on your family time tonight."

"There's no need to apologize." Remus told her. He knew there was no way his wife would have let his wife have her cousin and uncle in their home. "We enjoy having you, Narcissa."

"Draco's been busy with his new job." Narcissa said lightly. "He's secured an office position at Gringotts. He's met this rather nice girl. Andy, I told you about her. She's the pretty one with dark hair, Astoria Greengrass. _Very_ nice..."

"Here, sit down." Remus told his wife, beginning to stand up.

She shook her head. "It's alright."

"No, really, you look like you're hurting." He said quietly, getting up for his wife. "Really. Have a seat."

Tonks sighed and sat down in the chair in his place, her hands resting on her stomach. Still, her leg was shaking nervously. "I'm just tired." She said softly.

"Is it your back?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, but-" She stopped herself and shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Nothing? Is it your back? Are you sick to your stomach?"

"Remus, we'll... _talk_ about it later." Tonks mumbled. She shifted forward in her seat, rubbing her lower back

"Dora, dear, are you felling alright?" Andromeda finally noticed Remus's concern. "Do you want a pillow? I have plenty of pillows over here-"

"I'm fine." Tonks cut her off, objectively taking a pillow from her husband and propping up behind her. "I get these-these flare ups sometimes where I just get to feeling bad."

"Maybe I ought to head out then." Narcissa frowned.

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"I've been here long enough for two drinks. You know what Mum always said about that..." She laughed. The blonde witch had already stood up, holding her handbag. Teddy was standing up proudly in her place on the sofa with bright blonde hair. "I do hope you get to feeling better... what is it they call you?"

"Dora." Tonks nodded curtly. "Call me Dora."

"Teddy ought to be heading to bed soon." Andromeda sighed. "Mum always had a lot to say about everything, didn't she?"

The toddler shook his head. "No!"

"Yes!" His father smiled, scooping the boy up in his arms. "Come on, Little Man, it's going to get late! We might have to skip bath time tonight so you can get some good sleep."

"Thank you for the vegetables, Narcissa. They were delicious." Tonks tried to smile politely. "I hope you don't mind if I sit here and say goodbye."

"You're fine." Narcissa said softly squeezing her niece's hand. Her fingers were cold and body around Tonks's, and too heavy with rings. "Get to feeling better, will you? How much longer have you got left?"

"Two-two months. Late February." Tonks nodded eagerly.

"I might now see you before then, but congratulations and good luck with the little one. I know they're a big handful."

"Mmhm. Thank you so much."

"And if you ever-"

"It's been good seeing you." Tonks replied in a short manner. "I'm sorry you couldn't stay longer. It's just that we have to get Teddy to bed. Goodnight!"

"Here, Cissy, I'll walk you out." Andromeda smiled, taking her sister by the arm and leading her to the door.

Teddy was laughing hysterically, still being held in his father's arms, his hair now a lime green.

"Remus," Tonks tried to speak over her son. "Can we talk real quick?"

"Of course!" He playfully blew a kiss behind the boy's ear, setting him back down on the sofa. "What's wrong, darling?"

"Other room." Tonks said waveringly, pushing herself up. Remus rushed to her aid and helped her to her feet. She grabbed ahold of his arm and quickly walked out of view of her mother, who was turning around on the porch, and dragged his in the small bathroom, shutting the door.

"I'm assuming this isn't a kitchen kind of talk, is it?" Remus asked hesitantly.

"I didn't want Mum to hear us." Tonks took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"...hear _what_ , exactly?"

"I was bleeding. This afternoon." She finally spit it out.

"Bleeding?"

"Yes, _Remus_ , and it got worse after dinner!" Tonks snapped.

"You don't think you're in labour, do you?" He asked, shocked. "I mean you can't be, right?"

"Yeah, you know, you said that when I _got_ pregnant, didn't you?" Tonks said harshly, hanging her head back to stare at the ceiling. "We are not having this baby tonight. No way, no _how._ This _has_ to just a mistake-"

"What happened?" Remus asked carefully, sitting her down on the toilet lid. "You think you're just overreacting?"

"I-I think... I think I kept having contraction, but at the time, I thought-I thought maybe they were just... I dunno, but they started hurting worse and I just kept thinking this morning that they would go away, but... I don't know what to tell you, I'm sorry." Tonks stammered in a flustered manner

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He said hurriedly. "I... You _aren't_ to term yet though, so maybe... _maybe it_... okay, what are we going to do?"

"I don't know." She shook her head, her throat sounding increasingly dry. "Don't tell Mum. She'll freak out and all that and-"

"Why would I freak out?" A voice asked from the other side of the door. "You two better not be doing what I think you're doing."

Tonks took a deep breath. She hunched over her stomach. "I can't just sit here. I am hurting, but I have no clue what we should do."

"Shh, Dora, hon, it's okay," Remus assured.

 _"I don't know what to do._ This _isn't_ supposed to happen. Do you think it could just be a mix up? Like-like I've been having those false contractions for _weeks_ , maybe I'm blowing all this out of proportion..." Her voice was confident, but not enough to convince the both of them.

"They're not supposed to hurt, Dora." Remus sigehd. "You need to make up your mind. If you think you should go to the hospital, then we can go to St. Mungo's."

"I've got to still have time." Tonks said. defensively. "At least _through the full moon_. And we're not having the baby tonight. Of all the times, it's not going to be tonight." She shot back. "Even if I _was_ in labour, it takes hours for babies to come. I'm sorry, I must have overreacted in the moment. But not _now._ We can't do this _tonight_. Four days before the full moon?"

"Aren't there more babies born during full moons?" Remus asked.

Tonks rolled her eyes. "That's a myth-"

"Dora." Remus interjected.

"We had scares just like this with him." Tonks pleaded. "It's got to just be a false alarm. I'm so sorry. We're not about to have this baby. We are not doing this tonight. It's _too early._ "

Remus looked far from convinced and began protesting. "Dora-"

"Remus." She growled.

"...Are you two alright in there?"

"Do not sit here alone all night in pain and end up killing yourself because you're too stubborn to say when it's time." He warned. "We'll deal with the early baby, but we can't ignore this. Pandering with yourself isn't going to keep you safe.'

"I am fine-" Tonks gave a pained groaned, wincing like she had been punched in the gut, wrapping her arms around her stomach in shock. Her head hung shamefully for a moment and tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry..." She shook her head.

Remus didn't know what to do, his hands hovering over her. "God, Dora, just stop being so hard-headed..."

Tonks sharply inhaled, whispering back, "You know what, I won't walk. I'll lie down, I'll get in the bath, I don't care, but I can _not_ have the baby this early."

Remus looked at her sadly, kissing her forehead. "Dora..." He sighed quietly. "Let's figure this out first, then we'll go from there, okay?" Her face went red and the tears spilled from her eyes.

Andromeda finally stepped in the bathroom, cautiously. "What's going on?" Is everyone alright?"

"Dora might be having contractions." Remus said, looking up to his mother in law, whose eyes widened in surprise. "She's been bleeding."

"Oh no..."

Remus took his wife's hand and squeezed it. Her eyes shut, wincing, and the two didn't exchange words at first. "You have to take care of yourself. For the both of us. For all of us. You have to make the decision to go, I can't make you."

Her eyes opened and she began crying.

He leaned forward and hugged her tighter, smoothing down her hair. "It's okay. I know you've got to be absolutely terrified, but you've done this before and you know what to do." He tried to encourage.

Tonks squeezed his hand, her voice collecting itself back up. "It _can't_ be. It's too soon.

"Dora, look at me. I'll be right beside you the whole time."

"If-"

"It's not safe for you to just stay here. You can't have the baby here." Tonks nodded her head and sniffled. "I can't lose you."

"I know-"

He shook his head. "I don't want to lose this baby either, but I need you to be smart about this, because I can't have anything happen to you."

Tonks cried for a little while longer. When she finally subsided, Remus pulled her up to a straight sitting position. The three didn't say anything for a while until Tonks stopped crying completely. Teddy was finally put to bed by his grandmother and the couple found themselves sitting together for longer than anticipated, thinking. After a while, there was another painful contraction she vocalized through a sharp gasp, then the two went silent again.

Tonks gave a strange laugh and looked up sadly to her husband. "On goddamn _Christmas._ We can't catch a break, can we? A baby coming early on _Christmas._ "

He chuckled and kissed her head. "Let's get you looked at. _At least_ , we'll have the peace of mind."


	72. Bright Shining Light

Tonks's hair was a dreamy lavender colour. The pain potions were still leaving her groggy after being asleep for most of the early morning.

"What did they _give_ me?" She yawned, turning over onto her side to face her husband. "I mean, I know with Teddy we didn't exactly have proper pain medication, but I wasn't _this_ exhausted."

"Give yourself some credit. You worked hard last night." Remus smiled, brushing her hair out of her face.

"What ever happened? It was all so quick, I had no idea what was happening. Where's the baby?" Tonks asked in a concerned tone. "I don't remember seeing them. I don't really remember much of _anything_ , really, and I sort of want to see my kid-"

Remus had gone almost suspiciously quiet through this time.

"Remus? Where's the baby? What happened?"

"She's... Well, you _did_ see her, you just don't remember it- You fell asleep feeding her but, um..."

"Wait, _she?_ It's a _girl?"_

He nodded. "It's very much a _girl_. And she's... she's _fine,_ she's just... she's not going to be quite ready to come home yet." Remus reassured her. "Just... here, sit up and we can talk about this."

 _"What do you mean?_ What's going on?" Tonks was immediately skeptical and his reluctancy was making it vocal. "What the _hell?_ Why are you being so hesitant? Is she okay?"

Remus opened his mouth, but then closed it as he pulled himself up from his seat. "I'm going to go get the healer." He said in a sober voice

"I-" She pulled herself all the way up. "It's going to be okay, just talk to me, Remus, _what's going on?"_

A few minutes later, Remus returned with a female healer. "Good morning, Mrs. Lupin, how are you feeling this morning?" She asked in a chipper voice. Remus stood insecurely beside his wife with his arms crossed.

"What's... what's going on with my daughter?"

"Ma'am, I promise you, they'll cover all of that in a few minutes. I just need to take care of you first. Let me have a look at your vital signs." She assured, taking out her wand.

"I'd sort of like to know where my kid is, actually." Tonks replied dryly.

"I promise you, she's in the nursery with all of the other newborns. Now, can you take a deep breath for me? Hmm. Your blood pressure is a little bit high this morning, but I'm sure you're going to be better in a bit. You'll probably even get to go home tomorrow, if you're feeling better. We're still glad you came in when you did-"

"Oh yeah, my _blood pressure._ I think it's called something like 'why won't anyone tell me what's going o-'"

 _"Dora-"_

"It's quite alright, Sir. I just need to document your high blood pressure and... that's it! They'll bring the baby over in just a couple minutes, I think..." The healer scurried out.

She lowered her voice to an upset whisper. "Remus, what the _fuck_ is wrong with the baby? _What happened?_ Why are you being so skittish?"

"Dora, please just calm-"

 _"Not until I get an answer, I won't!"_

There was a knock on the door. A different healer returned with the first, cradling what looked to be a stack of blankets. Tonks anger melted away, and so did her heart, glancing over to her husband. The healer smiled and handed the baby to its mother, who was eager to reach out for her.

"We have the paperwork whenever you're ready to officially sign her name. We wanted to make sure you were completely conscious for all the important stuff." The healer explained. "You wouldn't _believe_ how many names we have to go back in and fix."

"We know." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Oh my goodness," Tonks quickly took the child, cradling her in her arms. The baby was very much a girl and was tiny and wrinkled, with a tiny face and tiny fingers, asleep with two of them in her mouth. She coughed briefly, and her breathing sounded almost wheezy. "Hi there, sweetheart." Her mother said kindly. "I'm sorry we didn't get to meet earlier."

"We need to discuss some of the... _concerns_ we have about your daughter right now."

 _"Concerns?"_ Tonks demanded. Her excitement felt cut short.

"She's... For one, she's not as strong or as big as she should be, obviously from being so early." The healer explained. "Completely developed as far as we know, and no genetic disorders, but there are things we need to discuss concerning future diagnoses."

"She'll gain weight, right? Teddy did when he was born." Tonks said. "Then she'll be fine? That's an easy fix, right? Just get her to eat?"

"More than likely, but we still wouldn't want her getting any germs on her that could make her fall ill. She seems to have a very weak immune system right now, and we were hesitant to keep her out for too long. She's trying to fight off sickness right now."

"But will she be okay otherwise? _Weight_ we can work on, keep her from getting sick, but... what else?" Tonks asked in a strained voice. She was counting her fingers and toes. Five, five, five, and five.

"Well, if you take a look at her left leg, it's a bit bent up, almost like a breech baby, but we know she wasn't one of those, thankfully." The healer reported. "Her leg could have been _constrained_ , it could be _shorter_ , it could just simply be a _muscle memory_ that she has. She might have a limp when she's big enough to walk or her knees could turn in or she might grow out of it and just walk perfectly fine. I'm afraid I really couldn't tell you how she'll walk, but I'm letting you know now, and don't let it become a big worry; it's more than likely nothing. Now we need to talk about birth defects."

"Okay." Tonks nodded eagarly, still fixated on the baby. "So her leg is a bit crooked. What birth defects are we looking at?"

"A werewolf who's an older father and a metamorphmagus _could_ prove to be perfectly fine, and they could pose some _issues_." The healer tried to say lightly. " _Typically_ , we see children of werewolves inherit some form of gene mutation, mental or personality disorders, organ failures, and sometimes even become squibs."

The two were quickly pushed back into their frightened and somber stares. Remus nodded slowly. "What sort of... _things_ are we looking at?"

Tonks cut in. "Teddy-our son, he's almost _three_ \- could he have anything wrong with him that we don't know about? That we haven't been looking for? I've tried talking to someone, but everyone tells me he's okay, but could we be overlooking something? I mean, _organ failure?"_

"Have you noticed any developmental delays with him? Any behaviours that might concern you?"

"He was slow to learn to talk, but as soon as he learned, he's never had any troubles. He's been just as eagar to learn and walk just like any other child, I think." Remus explained.

"He's growing just like he's supposed to? He's not having trouble with eating or socializing... motor skills, hearing, seeing, and all? He doesn't get sick often?"

"No problems that we know about." Remus shook his head again. "He... seems _normal."_

"Well, I'd say he got a good set of genes." The healer announced. " _Possible defects_ might include hearing problems, low immune system, physical deformities, low weight and short stature, and heart problems. And, you know, the mental and personality disorders, organ fai-"

"Is there any way we can know for certain that _both_ of our kids are healthy? Or will be in the future? I know we've gotten really off topic here, but our main concern was our children inheriting my husband's condition."

"It's quite alright, Mrs. Lupin. And I can assure you, at least we know she won't be a werewolf like him. I'm sure we can run tests on your son to check him over, but if you haven't spotted anything abnormal, then I doubt there's any problems. It's a gamble sometimes... we _do_ know that children don't inherit the trait unless they're bitten, however we don't see a lot of children in this situation... You do bring your son here to a regular healer for visits?"

"Yes, we do."

"Then I'm fairly certain any problems would be picked up on, but if you'd like, I can give a second opinion."

"So we _do_ _know_ we're looking for in the baby?" Tonks wondered. "We know what she _has,_ right?"

"There's not really enough of anything in her blood. Red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets all seem to be in deficient." The other healer's shoulders shrugged sadly. "There's been talk of a blood transfusion as soon as possible but, she'll be more easily winded, less able to exer herself, less able to fight off disease, and have difficulty clotting wounds. Untreated, her heart is going to undergo strain trying to compensate."

"How can we fix that?" Remus asked. "As a long term solution, what can we do?"

"Again, blood transfusions and just being careful might be all you can do." The healer firmly told her.

"What's the life expectancy?" Tonks butted in.

"She... ashe could grow up to be an adult, but it may not exactly be a very... _fulfilling_ life. I'm not certain. She more than likely won't grow out of this and she might feel... isolated from others. Then again, she might get a bought of dragon pox and never live to see two years old."

"Crooked leg, not enough blood..." Tonks surveyed the baby's face, her heart sinking further into her stomach. "She's not a metamorphmagus, either. Not that that's my _biggest_ concern right now, I just thought-"

"No, Ma'am."

"We don't know anything yet about how severe this is going to be." Remus told his wife, walking over to sit on the bed by her side and taking her hand. He gave a weak smile. "And yes, she's perfectly normal. Perfectly human, so far as we know."

"I was a bit amazed actually, after seeing your son." The healer said. "It's a rare recessive trait, and typically a metamorphmagus wouldn't give birth to another metamorphmagus. Not that it means anything, but are either of you a muggle-born? Or related to one?"

"My mother was a muggle." Remus nodded. "Her father was a muggleborn."

"His dad came from a decently magical family, but my mum's a Black." Tonks said.

"Really? Who is she, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Andromeda?"

The healer gave a wide smile. "Ah, I knew Andromeda! She trained me when I was younger in the field. It's certainly a strange trait. Diluting magic is typically the cause of the gene manifesting. Knowing how... er, _unadulterated_ the Black bloodline was..." She shook her head and glanced down at her parchment. "We never talked about the name. Do the two of you have a name picked out yet?"

"We..." Tonks looked over to her husband. "I _think_ so."

Remus nodded quietly and squeezed his wife's hand. "Elena. We agreed on Elena, right?" She nodded.

"Elena Lupin." The healer confirmed, writing something down on a piece of parchment. "Do we have a middle name?"

"Middle name." Tonks glanced to her husband. The dense depression seemed to lift slowly from the atmosphere. "Do we have one picked out?"

"We hadn't really had time-" Remus faltered, the healer nodding and becoming unfocused, fixating on some of the other paperwork. "We- hang on, we need a minute to talk about this."

"I mean, I hadn't really thought of much of anything. I know you said you still wanted to use a family name, though I had been thinking..."

"What about 'Elena Andromeda'? That's too much of a mouthful, but what about 'Elena Do-'"

 _"Not Elena Dora."_ Tonks frowned. "Not _anything_ Dora. _Not anything Nymphadora."_

"Elena Dora is still sweet."

"Please don't make me use my name-"

"Why not?"

 _"Because."_

"Because why?"

"Because." Tonks bounced the infant in her arms. "No Elena Dora. _You know_ I hate my name."

"Not even _Dora?"_ Remus persuaded. "Nymphadora, I understand, but not _Dora?_ Come on, you like it, I know you do."

"Elena Dora." She repeated, giving a defeated sigh. "Edward Remus and Elena Dora... I-I dunno. ..."

"If you _hate it-"_

There was a momentary hush. "I... I'd really prefer just Elena."

Remus pushed the baby blanket back, looking at the girl's face, and smiled proudly. "Elena. Just Elena."

"Mummy?" A little boy's voice asked from the doorway.

"Teddy?" Tonks asked kindly, peeking across the room. She released her husband's hand and outstretched her free arm to the boy, and he came running straight to her. "Wasn't Nana watching you?"

"No! The nice healer man was." He announced pompously. "I ran away!"

"Ran away? _What?"_ Remus laughed nervously, picking Teddy up to sit on his lap.

"I want to see the baby!" Teddy smiled. "Is that _it?"_

Tonks smiled and leaned over to let the boy have a look at his sister. "Her name's Elena. Elena Lupin." Teddy kept trying to get a better view of the infant and his father fixed the blanket around Elena.

"It's a _girl?"_ Teddy asked in bewilderment.

"It _is_ a girl! That means she's your little sister." His mother said. "What do you think, Teddy?" She prompted.

"What's her name?"

"Elena." Remus confirmed. "Her name's Elena."

"Do you like it?" Tonks asked.

"I like 'Lena!" He bounced excitedly. His mother grinned and held a finger up to her lips. _"I like 'Lena!"_ He said in a loud whisper.


	73. Waiting Around II

Four days after Christmas and families of witches and wizards who were patients at the hospital were still coming and going in mass to see their loved ones. Just by taking a look at the waiting room, the healers could tell already that this was going to be a bad year for dragonpox.

For the past few days, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin had been living in rotations of checking on their daughter. Remus had mostly been at home with their older child Teddy (who was two years old) for the past three days, while Tonks had officially been discharged, and stayed in the room with the baby to keep an eye on her. She didn't say anything to her husband, but he knew she was apprehensive about the full moon. Tonight, Teddy got to stay with his godparents so his parents could stay together, arriving at St. Mungo's as soon as visiting hours started.

Her mother had noticed that the baby had been acting strange the past few days, but with being watchful over Remus, who was becoming more fatigued from the upcoming full moon, trying to take care of the toddler, and struggling to fall back into the regular swing of things after having the baby, she had tried to just label it as nothing more than regular fussiness. Something about St. Mungo's staff's attitude about her daughter and the full moon was a bit unsettling. Tonks now had to worry about keeping her daughter from becoming some experimental project, which terrified her.

Remus had to drag himself off the chair slowly, his head spinning into black and white fuzz. Tonks was on her toes in seconds to wake her husband up.

"What is it?" Remus asked groggily.

"We can go see her now." She told her husband. Both tired and weak, they carried each other down the hallway. This ward in particular had been changed over the last couple of years and held patients suffering from lycanthropy bites, scratches, self inflicted wounds from transformations, and right now, a sickly girl that may-or-may-not have been afflicted by some mutation of the werewolf gene. For the past few full moons, Remus had been involved with this ward with a trial of a new strain of Wolfbane potion. Tonight was supposed to be his first night with the new potion and no one had any clue how he was going to react to it.

Elena Lupin woke up crying before light could even fully come through the windows and left trails of orange light on the linolium. However, it didn't seem to be a regular hungry wail or lonely bawling. It was a lousy, weak moan of a cry that greeted her parents as they entered the door.

An aid had been rocking her to no avail. After washing her hands, Tonks rushed over to the cot where Elena was, going to pick the baby up in her arms. Just like they had been warned, her left leg was bent awkwardly. They were supposed to help her try and relax her muscles as soon as they were allowed to have more contact with the infant, but Tonks wasn't sure that was their biggest worry.

"I hope this is alright?" She said warily to the overwhelmed healer.

"She won't eat... All she does is bawl and squawk like a Hippogriff!" The aid tried to joke, making his way out the door. "If you can get her to eat anything, please, by all means, try it. She's been barely gotten a bite in between fussing or sleeping all night..."

"Remus... Something's wrong..." Tonks said sternly from across the room. "Something's not right. She's..." She didn't knowwhatthe girl was. The baby was hurting, but there was nothing obvious showed on her face or body. Tonks kept surveying the child, but there was nothing visibly wrong with her.

"Remus?" She muttered softly.

"What?" He snapped at her. Regretfully, Remus took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, what is it?"

"I don't know what to do." She replied in a weak snivel, flustered in the moment. "She sounds so sick! I-"

"Let me carry her for you. You need to sit down." He walked over to where the baby was being kept and they traded her off. The healers had been extremely picky about what they could and couldn't do while they were there with the baby, and holding appeared to be a special priviledge. He hadn't had but a few moments where he really got to hold his newborn. Faintly, Tonks collapsed into a chair and reached out for the baby. Nowshewas the lightheaded one. "Hey, baby girl. What's wong, huh? What's got you feeling so bad?"

The baby gurgled at her father, fussily throwing her head from side to side. She coughed, her chest rattling. She took quick breaths, but they didn't sound like dying gasps.

"Dora, I think she's running a low fever." Remus announced loudly.

She quickly took the baby to feel her face. "Go get her a cold washcloth, will you?" He obeyed, but the time he came back, Elena had thrown up whatever the contents of her stomach were onto her mother's shirt and he helped her clean that up too.

"Do you have any explanation for all this?" Remus asked desperately, using a towel to wipe off the baby's vomit from his wife's shirt. He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. The two felt like they were on the brink on insanity by the way their heads were clouded and they couldn't think straight. Six days ago, Tonks had gone into labour two months early and five, the couple was told their new daughter was afflicted with a sickness that caused her to be deficient in her blood, on top of whatever else was hiding under the surface. They couldn't bear to discuss it in full yet, but they tried to keep moving like they always did. "I'm... I have no words right now.What could be happening?This..."

Tonks stabilized herself on her husband's arm. Elena's face was red and her skin was beaded with sweat, and slowly, she fell back asleep. "Shh... Elena, you're okay... I know, you don't feel good right now..." The healers were doing everything they could think of to help the baby and give the family some peace of mind, but it felt like their luck was running thin. They hadn't been told that this was the end yet, so there still felt like there was something to be done. Tonks turned to her husband, who was sitting beside her and had his head resting in his hands. "What are you going to do tonight?"

Remus shrugged in defeat. "WhatshouldI do? I suppose I'm still supposed to stay involved with that program..."

"You ought to go." His wife told him. "It's a bit of a harsh thing to say, I suppose, but it's not like you can really stick around here with us."

"I know." He wouldn't look up at her. There wasn't much in the small room they were occupying, but he fixated on a particular square tile on the floor that had a corner missing.

"Maybe tomorrow you'll start to feeling better." Tonks said lightly, holding onto her husband's hand. "If you want to go home for awhile, I don't mind. We can watch over her until tonight, you'll go to wherever it is they take you and I'll stay with Elena until they kick me out."

He shook his head. "I want to stay as long as I can. What about Teddy? We can't bring him here, he won't sit still and will be bored to death."

"I know Harry and Ginny don't mind..."

"Youdidcheck with them, right?"

"Yes,I checked with them, Dora." Remus snapped at her. "I'm sorry! You justassumethat I don't follow through on these things."

"You don't have to behatefulto me, you know." She shot back.

The two went quiet for a while. Tonks was thinking. She was still feeling weak, but when she was sure she had gotten her strength together, she tried walking with the baby to try and soothe her. She would just talk, even if there was no response but the whimpering and cooing of the sleeping baby.

"I know we can't see the sunrise that great from here." Tonks sighed, leaning back against the tall window. Elena was awake now, with big, brown eyes, quietly observing her mother. For now at least, the baby was content on quietly sucking on a bottle and taking in her mother's voice. "Well, you can't see much of anything right now, can you, Elena? You know, maybe it'll be a good few years before we watch a sunrise together. Dad and I'd like to get some sleep, you know. Your brother came in to see you yesterday. You wouldn't remember it or anything, but he seems to be...interestedin you, I suppose is the best way to put it. He's fascinated by the idea of a little sister, whether or not that's a good thing to him, I couldn't tell you. Not that he wouldhateyou, but I believe he was wanting a brother. You'll grow on him, though, I know you will. He has this little friend, a year or so older that you named Victoire that he likes. She had to grow on him. He calls you'Lena'. You know, Elena, you have eyes just like him. He can change the colour of his, but you know I love you just the same even if you couldn't. Well, youwouldn't, given you have no clue what I'm going on about. I don't even know what I'm going on about half the time..."

Around lunchtime, Elena got some unexpected visitors. Her godparents had brought along her brother, as well as Ron and Hermione who tagged along. The couple had to stop them in the doorway.

"Wehadto meet our new godchild." Ginny rolled her eyes, propping Teddy up on her hip. "Bill and Fleur would've come, but they were too chicken, I guess. The healers kicked us out the last time we tried to say hi."

"She's not really well enough for a lot of meeting right now." Remus said quietly. "And we're not supposed to let people around her."

"Can we at least ask how you two are doing?" Harry asked.

Tonks yawned. "Just sort of hanging in there right now."

"Is Lena sleeping?" Teddy asked. His parents shushed him.

"Yes, honey, and she's been crying awholebunch, so let's keep her asleep." His mother explained. "She's really worn out."

"Is she still yellow?" He wondered.

"No, the healers took care of that. She looks... a bitblueactually, hang on." Tonks scurried back off again to examine the baby and readjust her blankets, even though she refused to keep them on her. Teddy went and curiously wandered behind her.

"Mummy?"

"Yes, Teddy?"

"Why is Lena look like that?" He demanded.

"I-" Tonks shut her eyes. Tears were beginning to fill her eyes, but she stopped them from coming out in front of the child.

"Then why won't she stop?"

"Because she's just not feeling well right now."

"She's not going tosprout fangsor anything, is she-" Ron started, but got cut off when his fiancee hit him across the arm.

"Honestly, that might be a best case scenario right now." Remus shifted uncomfortably. "The healers can't even tell us what to expect. They were so vague, we're expecting anything from a half-werewolf transformation to organ failure..."

"Is this..." Ginny looked sadly over to her husband, then to her ex-professor. "Is this going to be our goodbyes then too?"

Remus swallowed hard and took a deep breath, unable to look at them. "I don't know."

"Do babies typically... if shewasa werewolf," Harry inquired. "how would she be doing? Do you know?"

"Well I can't say I've encountered a wide range of infants with the... thedisease."Remus said. "Greyback wouldn't-" He lowered his voice. "Greyback wouldn't bite newborns unless he was killing them, so I have no clue how she would react if she... transformed. He waited until they could walk and all that so he wouldn't have to be the one to teach them. Typically if a... woman in the pack gotpregnant, I mean, there were so many things that could kill her or the child. Transforming, others transforming, the blood loss, infection and all that. I never saw any healthy babies when I was up north with his pack. Nothing ever successful as he had hoped for, let's just say."

"So it's just a gamble." Hermione sighed and crossed her arms. "I hate that. I can'tbelievethey would keep you in the dark like this. That's so unfair to you as a parents."

"Hermione, they seem to know as much as we do right now." He assured. "Everyone is doing as much as they can right now."

The company didn't stay long before leaving feeling worse than when they got there, and took Teddy with them. Remus had tried talking to his wife about talking to Teddy about his sister's condition, but that didn't make it very far.

By evening, the couple had matching headaches. They took turns getting about half an hour of sleep each while watching over the baby as healers came in and out to administer different potions ranging from an almost glowing pink to something that looked like dark yellow mud.

"She's still asleep." Remus informed his wife.

"She's okay?" Tonks asked as she sat up in her seat, waking herself up completely. "She was breathing alright?"

"Yes." He nodded, slumping down on the sofa.

"Was she still wheezing?"

"Only a bit." Remus wrapped his arm around her back. "But she's only asleep and I'm not going to wake her up."

"One of us needs to stay awake." She announced, sitting up and beginning to stand. "Go ahead and get some rest for tonight, I'm going to stay up for her."

"Dora," Remus grabbed at the front of her shirt and stopped her, practically holding her down in place.

"What's wrong?" She asked gently. Tonks sat back, snuggling into her husband's chest. "Rem..."

"I..." He buried his face in her chest, holding tightly onto her like their son often did with them, closing his eyes. His wife comforted him, kissing his head as she smoothed out the top of his hair. Her fingers combed through his hair, which she noticed was thinning out faster since the baby was born, her head turning as she pressed her lips on his sweaty forehead. "It's all my fault... it's my fault she's hurting... it's my fault she's like this..."

"Remus, you didn't do anything."

"I hurt my own daughter... my own child..." He cried. It was the first time in a while Tonks had seen him in tears, much less sobbing so painfully.

"You didn't hurt her. You didn't bite her. We don't know what's going to happen to her tonight." Tonks uttered feebly. "She might be weak, but that doesn't make her a werewolf, Remus. And that doesn't make it your fault."

Remus lurched and began crying unnaturally, harder every time his breath got close to slowing down. It didn't last long, though. The baby awoke with her ill tears again, and the cycle repeated, her mother going back through everything she thought to do to soothe the child, but nothing helped the newborn's nerves.

The only time the couple left Elena alone that night was around dinner time. Tonks's leg shook the entire time they tried to eat. Remus held his wife's hand through part of it, even if it meant awkwardly trying to eat with his left hand. Then they had to say their goodbyes.

Tonks was crying, but it was more of a sniffling as she hugged her husband out in the hallway of the hospital ward. "Please be safe... please don't chew your fingers, you know how stiff they are... I'll be back here first thing in the morning for Elena and we'll meet up...don't beat yourself up tonight and please for the love of everything don't chew on your fingers..."

"I'm not going to chew on my fingers." Remus told her, tightly holding onto her waist. "And I'll see you as soon as they release me, alright? The sun's starting to go down, Dora, I have to go..."

"I know, I just-"

"Dora, you have tolet goof me."

"I-" Tonks pulled back from him and studied his face. He was trying to be as calm ad he could under the circumstances, but couldn't hide how distressed he was feeling. "I love you."

"I'll see you in the morning." He kissed her forehead.

"In the morning. With Teddy and Elena." She nodded nervously.

"I promise, no matter what, we're going to get through this, okay?" Remus told her. "Please try and sleep tonight, okay?"

"Yeah." Her head was bobbing up and down, but it felt more like a muscle memory than anything. She was just going through the motions of her goodbye.

"I love you." Remus said firmly for the last time.

"I love you too." Tonks whimpered. "Tomorrow."


	74. The Morning After

Tonks made herself leave the hospital and she retreated home. She tried to go and get Teddy, but Ginny was hesitant to hand him over, saying she needed time to herself. She finally gave over the child and the two headed home for bed. Once Teddy was bathed and tucked in to go to sleep, his mother quietly headed to the bathroom and locked the door.

Tonks was sitting in the floor of her bathroom, muffling her crying into her elbow. Her eyes were so tired are red, they were stinging when she squeezed them shut. Her hair was no longer pink, but its natural, unmorphed brown. She stared up at the ceiling. She felt like her heart was falling apart in her chest. She felt like she could throw up.

As she crawled under the covers of her bed, all she could think of was the hope, every instance of luck with Teddy, had turned against them and violently. What had they done to deserve this? Was this some kind of sick punishment for something? Had they been blindly playing a game of chance with their children? Was this selfishness on their part?

Away from the house, Remus dragged his feet through the night. It was terrifying to think that as the other visitors left, his child would be just down the hall from him, safely tucked in bed, he hoped. His mind often wandered in his last moments as a human, before he shifted and tried to block out his thoughts. Teddy was always got grumpy around this time. He hoped at least he would behave for his mother.

"Have you been ill recently?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Have you been taking anything in the past two weeks for pain?"

Remus sighed. "No."

"Drinking or taking any other kind of potions that could inhibit your-"

"I haven't taken anything."

"...Right. So you're feeling generally well and normal?"

"I suppose."

"Well, I'm going to give you your potion. I'm not going to test you because I think your word is good, but I highly recommend that if you aren't completely sober, now would be a good time to confess. We aren't sure how this is going to react to any potions in your system-"

"There aren't any. I followed all of the instructions I was given, I assure you." Remus stated.

"Then let's get you started."

The healer handed over a glass of something. It didn't emit smoke or have a silvery blue tint to it or even have the came consistancy like his normal potion did. Instead it looked watery and was a clouded grey. It looked completely unappealing and tasted no better.

"The reason I called you in so late today is because I believe that by processing the Wolfsbane down to an extract that it will have an immediate affect and won't call for taking multiple doses hours in affect. Tonight, if you can remember, try to recognize how you're feeling on the new potion."

After drinking it, and trying his best to politely not gag on it, all Remus could make note of was the potion's texture of spoiled milk.

"Have you noticed any immediate effects of it?"

Remus shook his head and swallowed the last of the potion. He had wanted to make a snide remark, but held back.

"I suppose I'll leave you to it. You know how it works, just set your belongings inside the cabinet to prevent damage and I'll be seeing you tomorrow morning, first thing."

Then healer departed. This always felt like the worst part of it all. Having no clue who might be watching from just the other room, he would have to take off all of his clothes and wait. Even without glaring bright lights, he felt scrutinized by the healers watching over him from the other room, which always made him uncomfortable. This was practically a padded cell with glowing blue shields around the door. Naturally there were no windows or even hints of outside light this far into the hospital, leaving Remus carefully staring at his watch. At home, he could typically get a glance at the sunlight from a short window in the basement that would let him know when it got too close to time. Here, he had noting to depend on but the healer's word and a brief understanding of the pattern of time around sunrise and sunset.

Then came the fist phase with uncontrollable shakes. It started in his legs like uncontrollable muscle cramps and restlessness. The slowly, it would spread into his stomach, twisting it in knots, then his chest where his heart began racing. His arms would tense up in cycles that became more and more painful with each of the convulsions. His jaw would eventually lock up and his bones would feel like they were stiff and brittle.

The second phase wasn't any better. His muscles shortened before the rest of his body changed. His mind always seemed to trick him into believing that the pain shooting through his lower back would fade away, but it always became increasingly worse before he felt any better. Before he realized it, his spine would bend and shorten. His mind would draw blank in his last moments of being human, whether it was from his mind changing or from years of suppressing his thoughts through the strain. He wouldn't be able to regain his consciousness after that point without the potion.

His thoughts would flood back to a body Remus couldn't bear to recognize. He had fallen off of the exam table and was curled up on the floor (he couldn't tell at which position his body was at because of how short he had become). His bones had changed and bent into strange shapes and awkward angles that didn't fit into the shape of a human, nor quite a wolf. His skin sagged over his body, wirey hair sprouting from beneath it. The change of his face came to him like slamming into a brick wall as the cartilage in his nose twisted into a snout, the room around him growing dark as his eyes shifted into a different form. Agonized groans came out as deep barks and yelps, his ears ringing sharply in a way he couldn't escape.

His body shook, writhing on the floor. His leg kicked at something and a sharpcrackrang out as he clumsily kicked at the table. Remus whined and his neck waved sideways. The floor was a lot closer to his head, he realized, as he bucked at the tile. Teeth sharpened into fangs, ears became pointed, and he snarled angrily. He was trapped and the room felt like it was weighing down on him. The lights were too bright, the silence was too loud... He tried think of something else, anything else that might bring him peace.

Even now, his family couldn't ease the human thoughts that remained. Every good memory sunk deep away, replaced by grief and anger. He couldn't remember the softness and vibrancy of his wife's hair, but he could remember how it looked a dismal brown, damp, ans hanging over her eyes the days he left her behind for the Order and for his own selfishness. He couldn't see her smile, with slightly crooked teeth and her lopsided dimple, but he could see her crying, through their fights, losses, and nightmares. Similarly, he couldn't remember Teddy's blue hair, or how he would jump up and down to greet his father when he came home from work. He remembered the hauting fears he felt during the war when attacks and arrests were at an all-time high. The fears that something would be wrong with him. He recalled the fear he felt when his wife got pregnant again and how he was so sure that everything went wrong because of him.

He clawed at the floor to try and grip it, whimpering. His back was giving out, his weight forcing him forward awkwardly. The joints made a creaking noise. Remus hated it, all of it. The pain was encircling him with unwelcomed thoughts. He had hurt people like this. Both physically and emotionally, it wasn't fair to his family to have to watch him go through this. It wasn't fair to them. They deserved so much better. His baby didn't deserve to be hurting the way she did. Something sharp gripped his shoulder, just behind his neck. Something told him it was his doing.

Something unusual happened this time, but Remus didn't have time to react. He swore he must have been panicking, because his breaths were coming in short, quick gasps. His stomach lurched angrily and he began coughing and sputtering. Eventually everything slowed down until the shakes stopped completely. Remus knew he hadn't taken anything for sleep, but it felt like he was about to faint. It wasn't long before he did.

He woke up in bed somewhere. It felt like a different room. It was less of a padded cell and more of an actual room. There were other patients that groaned and grunted in beds beside him. His heart was still pounding blood painfully through his shoulder and something gauzy was resting there. It must have been past dawn already and he must have missed the transformation back. He must've been out all night because he couldn't remember anything but the pain. Now, all he knew was he was somewhere with a warm blanket. His throat felt dry and scratchy, and almost constricting him from breathing.

"Good morning, how are you feeling this morning? Don't sit up, you're fine right there."

"I-" His voice sounded unfamiliar.

"You're at St. Mungo's. We have you in recovery from last night. Do you know if you took your wolfsbane potion last night?"

"Um-"

"Sir, you're going to have to stop moving your arm. You dislocated your shoulder last night and it has a couple minor scratches."

"Ah-" Remus blinked his eyes fully open. He was at least wearing clothes, but his arm was in a sling against his chest. His back felt like he had been hit with multiple hexes. "I took something, I don't know what it was though."

"You... you did what?"

"I took whatever they gave me."

"Oh, you're Lupin, aren't you?"

"Yes?"

"Was that... was that a statement?"

"Yes?"

"Alright, well you just stay still, I'll go track down your healer. I'm serious, Mr. Lupin, please stop moving."

"Wait just a second-"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Do you... do you know anything about my daughter? There should be a girl, Elena-"

"I'm sorry, but I don't know and if I did, I couldn't tell you."

"I just want to know what happened to her. She's-

The mediwitch was already gone. Remus sank lower into the bed and shut his eyes, twisting sideways. His temples were pounding and it felt like he couldn't escape them, even if he couldn't think about everything that petrified him. But he couldn't lay there forever. It wasn't long before the healer came to talk to and examine him. It was a long and gruesome time, discussing things that Remus couldn't fully hear or care less about.

"So we know now that you had an allergic reaction to the trace amounts of Essence of Comfrey- it's an extract used from a plant- perhaps you've noticed you had this problem in the past if you were ever working in Herbology or-"

"I had no idea." Remus stopped the man. "I'm sorry, but I really don't think it did much for me last night. I know I was...present, but it didn't help much during the transformation. Will I be able to be discharged today?"

"Perhaps, I'm not sure." He nodded, scribbling something down on a clipboard. "I'll make a note of that and we won't continue that ingredient. I'll get you a prescription to help with the pain and with your arm so you don't get any infections, and next month, you should be receiving your week's dose of the new potion by owl. I believe if we take out the Essence of Comfrey and perhaps increase the polypondy, we should see better results."

"Do you know anything about the baby down the hall?" Remus asked. "She's my daughter."

His face twisted thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, but if you're feeling better, I will make sure you can get down there."

Remus coughed hard, nodding his reply. The healer was still very hesitant, but understanding to what was going on. A mediwitch helped him put his regular clothes on and walk him down the hall.

His heart was racing with fear when he knocked on the door that wasn't completely closed. A "No Visitors" sign was hung up in the middle of it, beside a record with Elena's medical information.

Remus stuck his head inside cautiously. He stumbled in, gripping onto the doorway as he fell into it. His eyes blinked shut quickly when he nearly walked straight into a person in the doorway. There was the faint sound of a baby coughing and sputtering, which gave him at least some hope.

"Oh my god," Tonks exclaimed. This morning, her hair was a shoulder length dark maroon. "Remus, what are you doing? What happened to you? I just got here five minutes ago, I was about to come see you-"

He grabbed onto her shoulders to balance himself. "I'm-"

"You're hurt, that's what." She stated, steering him into a chair. He briefly passed by Teddy, who was distractedly playing with one of his toys in the chair next to him. "What's on your face? What happened to you?"

"I'm not sure, what is on my face?" He asked and patted at his cheek. It stung, but not quite painfully. At his touch, his face felt hot and almost numb.

"Hives." Tonks was holding onto his face and turning it sideways to examine it. Remus felt dizzy enough as it was, but let her have her way anyways. "Seriously, what happened? Did they discharge you? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine-"He wheezed before being sent into a spell of coughing. His wife waited patiently for it to pass. "Reaction to the potion. No big deal. Elena-"

"Elena's right over there." Tonks sighed, her thumb grazing over her husband's cheek. "She didn't transform. She didn't become some... _weird mutant hybrid._ She had a rough night and they said she acted sick, but it was just really bad crying. I'm sure she felt awful and howled like a banshee, but she's okay now. She wasstarvingwhen I got here because she refused to eat anything they gave her."

"She's okay?"

"She's _fine,_ Remus." Tonks smiled, pressing a kiss against his face. "We know what to do now. We sort of know what works and what doesn't with the both of you."

"When can she come home do you think?" Remus smiled back at her and closed his eyes.

"They said as soon as she puts some weight on, she's all ours."

"Good." He nodded pleasantly.


	75. Babies and Egypt

Fleur was sitting stiffly off at the kitchen table at the Lupin's house. Victoire propped up in her arms. Her daughter was now almost half a year shy of her first birthday. She favoured her mother's features, except her own eyes were more turquoise than icy blue. As she was growing, she was beginning to chubbier too, thanks to her grandmother, of course. Her soft blonde locks was curly, which amazed her mother, given that neither if Victoire's parents had particularly curly hair.

Fleur shifted her weight, sitting the baby up against her chest. Victoire gurgled, happy to get a better view of the kitchen.

"I apologize, we wouldn't have invited you over tonight if we thought we would fall asleep at the table." Tonks remarked and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Teddy was sitting up on her lap, eating from a bowl of carrots. His hair was bright ginger like Bill's as if he was trying to impress him, though his eyes matched his father's light blue.

Fleur smiled politely. "We are just glad zat everysing iz working out. We are glad to 'ear zat both 'ou and Elena are doing well."

"Now, is it _E-lane-uh_ or _Ellen-uh?"_ Bill inquired, helping to take the dishes from dinner to the sink, where Remus was.

"E-Lane-uh. Here, you don't have to help." Remus replied, taking out his wand, and flicking it towards the dishes. Faintly, four long cuts crossed diagonally over his face. He was thankfully no longer running a fever, but it took several days after the full moon for the throbbing migraine in his temples to disappear. "Speaking of, she's probably going to be up soon to eat. Do you want me to get her up?"

"She's not going to sleep in my bed, is she?" Teddy asked.

 _"No."_ Tonks laughed, nuzzling his ear with her nose. "The baby has her own bed. I'll get her up in a bit."

"We're pretty lucky." Remus explained. "I've heard muggle children would have had to wait months. We were fortunate that they got her caught up. She's still pretty little, but she'll catch up." He shook his head. "I could go get her."

"And we're sorry you all have had Teddy so much lately. It's not fair to him or to you all that he get passed around all the time." Tonks mumbled, taking a piece of carrot that her son handed her. "Oh, thanks, hon."

"Hey, it's not your fault this came to a head all of a sudden." Bill replied, sitting down. "You should've said something when we came over. We wouldn't have stayed so long if we knew you were having a baby."

"Don't worry about it. You all dropped by that morning. Thought my aunt was never going to stop talking though, Merlin's me go get your sister up. Can you help me out here?" Tonks chuckled and lifted Teddy off her lap. She kissed the top of his head and sat him down in her place where he happily stood up on the seat and continued to munch on his carrots as she headed out to her room.

"I remember when 'ou were born. When I got to meet 'ou for ze first time." Fleur smiled at Teddy, walking over to sit down with Victoire. She handed her to Bill, who happily took the baby, making a funny face that caused her to laugh. Teddy screwed up his face to mimic Bill's, who chuckled at the little boy. "I remember 'ow tiny 'ou were ze first time I 'eld 'ou."

"I wasn'ttiny!"Teddy grinned.

"Teddy, you need to sit down or you'll fall." Remus said.

Teddy bounced up and down, looking up at his father with a smile. "Why?"

"Because you'll fall in the floor and you could hit your head!" Remus told him, lifting the boy up, and sitting him down in the chair.

"Why?" He asked.

"You could slip because you lose your balance and it could mean you hit your head on the floor or the chair." Bill said. "Then you'll have to go to the hospital and they'll have to put stitches in your head."

"Stitches?" Teddy inquired.

"The healers will have to sew you back together." Bill said playfully.

The little boy's eyes went wide in shock and he stared down at the table. Fleur gave an excited small squeal when she saw the baby. She peaked over the blanket at Elena's face when Tonks brought her over.

"That's _Lena."_ Teddy pointed out proudly. "She's my _sister."_

"She iz _adorable._ What iz eet, seven mon's difference between 'er and Victoire? I do not know much abour 'ogwartz, but zey might end up in ze same dorm in school, yes?" Fleur asked.

"If they're in the same house, they might be together, actually." Tonks smiled and rocked the baby in her arms.

"We never 'ad 'ouses at Beauxbatons." Fleur said thoughtfully. "I've 'eard about zem, though. It's... what are zey called? I remember... Eet's... ehm...Gryffindor. and... T-Trufflerin...?" Her face twisted in confusion before she laughed. "Oh well, I don't know. I only know Gryffindor."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it." Tonks chuckled, patting her friend's arm. "Here, why don't you hold her?"

Fleur quickly shook her head. "Tonks, I... No, eet's fine, really. She iz so small, I'm not sure-"

"It's fine! She's _fine,_ I promise. She's little, but she'll snuggle up to you just like Teddy did." Tonks assured her, handing Elena to her friend, and tucking the baby in her arms before stepping away to fix a bottle. "It's Dora. Just stick with Dora, alright?"

"I-" Fleur stopped herself, cradling the baby close to her and adjusting her blanket. "She iz jus' so _little..._ I'm afraid I might 'urt her or break 'er. She iz going to get bigger, yes?"

"We're sure she's going to be fine." Remus smiled feebly, almost in a forlorn manner.

"She was... _okay_ the other night, wasn't she?" Bill asked wearily.

"She got really sick." Tonks replied. Based in her husband's uncomfortable expression, he was about to become cynical about Elena's mysterious ailments. He was going to accidentally scare them with exaggeration he wouldn't mean to give. "She's... she's a lot bit better now. She'll eat in a bit when she's completely awake and be a lot less grumpy. She was running a fever and was vomiting all day yesterday. According to the mediwitches, she cried as hard as she could and was just...ill. It wasstrange. Like someone flipped a switch. But she's alright for now, and we aren't certain if this is a forever thing."

"What switch?" Teddy was too short to sit down and fully reach the table, so he sat up on his knees, watching over the woman who was holding his sister. What was all the talk about babies about ? Wasn't he just as important as a new baby? From his understanding of them, they sleep. Sometimes they cry, and when they do, they make the worst noise imaginable. They make your , what _are_ babies good for? _Surely_ he wasn't _that annoying_ , no sir, he was a _sweet_ baby. And why did babies sneeze so weird? Why did everyone think they looked so cute? _Victoire_ was maybe a cute baby, but so what? Elena looked like a shrunken old man with a bowling ball for a head. He didn't look like that, right? No, he was a _cute_ baby. And she threw up on Mum? Who would do that? Doesn't she _know_ better

"Oh, it's just a saying, Teddy." His mother explained.

"What's it mean?"

"It means she changed all of a sudden."

"Changed?"

"Sort of like... all of a sudden, her mood changed completely. She was... she acted like she was hurting and then she was fine."

"She was _acting_ like she was hurting?"

"Well we can't exactly _ask her_ how she's feeling." Remus replied.

"Yes you can." The boy replied innocently.

Teddy didn't understand the adults' laughs and his mother's own snicker.

"Well... she's not going to _answer."_ His father had to explain. "She doesn't know how to talk yet. She only knows how to cry."

"Why?"

"She's too little to talk." Bill chimed in. "Just like Tori is too little to talk... a lot." He gave an exasperated sigh.

"Why?"

"Babies are too little to talk. They're brains are too small to learn how to talk yet." Tonks said lightly. "They don't have voices yet."

"So if your brain has to growed... to talk..." Teddy looked at his parents skeptically. "People would-would havehugebrains!"He flayed his arms dramatically in demonstration.

"Hmmm... not sure how that works." Bill chuckled. "I mean, you'd fall over if your head was too big! So maybe it has to grow on theinside."

Teddy thoughtfully clasped his hands against the sides of his head in confusion, his hair ruffling into his eyes. Fleur was laughing behind her hand, shaking her head at the boy. He scrunched up his nose at her bashfully.

Tonks set the bottle down on the table. "Okay, Little Man, no flirting with the older women. Can you get up for me?" She joked, lifting him up. Her husband opened his mouth to say something to stop her, but didn't proceed. She stumbled a bit setting Teddy down in the floor.

"What's _flirting?"_ Teddy wondered.

"Oh, nothing. I'm only joking." His mother stated. The boy stepped onto her toes, reaching up and hugging her legs. "What's wrong, hon?" She laughed, leaning down to hug him.

"I need hugs." Teddy told her

"You _need_ hugs?" Tonks teased.

"Or I'm gonna die."

"You're gonna _die?_ Well are you going to die if you go hug Dad, 'cause I have to feed your sister."

Teddy paused. "Yes."

She rolled her eyes to the other grown ups. "Hang on, can you let me get settled first?"

"Okay!"

"I don't mind." Fleur smiled weakly.

Tonks slumped down in the chair, taking back the baby, who had been more protesting against Fleur. Elena was happy to see her mother, but happier to eat. Teddy tried to climb up in his mother's lap, and she managed to prop him up against her knee where he could sort of hug her from the side. Tonks took a deep breath. "So how are you all? I feel like we've only talked about us and the baby."

Bill gave what was almost a snort. "Oh, and not to steal your thunder or anything..." Fleur rolled her eyes, rubbing her forehead.

"What?" Tonks wondered, looking between them.

"I only juzt joked zat we 'ad been back and forth with getting pregnant. Firzt 'ou, zen Victoire was born, zen Elena..."

"What?"

Fleur sort of smiled. "Az soon az I made ze joke, I turned around and, well..."

Tonks laughed, patting her friend's arm. "Oh lord, we're going to have a whole _swarm_ before too long. Does Molly know yet?"

Fleur shook her head. Bill grinned. "A whole _pack."_

Both of the Lupins rolled their eyes. Teddy didn't get it, but he wasn't really tuning into things. "I think... we're good with just the two." Remus proclaimed.

"What about you, Bill? With work and all?"

"I'm heading back to Egypt next week for a bit. They've had me working at the bank, but there's been a bit of an...incidentthey need me for."

"Incident?" Tonks inquired curiously. "How long are going to be gone?"

"Not long, we hope. We... we think there could be a... _breech_ of some of the old tombs." Bill replied, both interested and wary of discussing the topic. He looked at her knowingly. "Bad people looking for some bad magic, you know? I used to study that sort of thing, and apparently I'm the one they need to come have a look into it. It's still sort of in the air, though about what _exactly_ happened. But if they're going after some of the old curses, I know they're going to be inbigtrouble."

"What kind of curses?" Remus asked.

"Egyptians believe that disturbing the dead can cause... it's more of atheory, _really_ , because we can't... _prove_ a lot of it. See, I dealt with cursed artifacts and places, but I've heard these rumours that messing with the mummified bodies can... _infect_ someone, and then it starts passing on between people until... until, you know. And it's not exactly pretty. We thought we saw something a few years back, but no one could _prove_ it was mummies."

"Huh." Tonks shook her head. Teddy was trying to slyly reach up to eat carrots. "That's weird."

"I... sort of 'ave a bad feeling about zis." Fleur admitted. She sighed. "Anywayz, I sink zat eef 'ou can do some good, zen 'ou ought to try."

"Are _you_ gonna fight bad guys?" Teddy asked.

"Oh yeah." Bill smiled proudly.

"Are you gonna get them?"

"We're going to take the bad guys down." He reassured the boy.

"Do you think I can fight them some day?"

"Of course you can! But not until you're bigger." The man encouraged. "You could be just like your Mum if you wanted."

Tonks briefly gave a nervous laugh, brushing her fingers over the top of the boy's head. "Nah, I don't think we need anymore aurors in this family."

 **AN: Don't know why this chapter was so screwy. Wouldn't have uploaded it if I'd known how it looked. Seriously, it looked _bad_. I think I have all of it fixed? I'm sorry.**


	76. The Sloans

Tonks sat on the new front porch to try and hide from the setting sun, shuffling the sleeping baby cradled in her arms back into a muggle baby carrier. The couple had spent the day planting flowers in the beds and setting them up in pots on the porch. Tonks had been given most of the say in the flowers and was thankfully moving as quickly as she had before she had given birth, though Remus still wanted to be the one doing most of the heavy lifting. They had decided on putting white and yellow daisies by the mailbox, the flower beds in front of the house mixed between violet and magenta petunas and light pink roses.

"So first you have to put in a little bit of dirt on the bottom or else it's not going to have anywhere to grow and the flowers'll be all the way on the bottom of the pot." Tonks showed the boy, letting him dump handfuls of dirt into a flower pot. "Then-"

As if appearing out of nowhere, an unfamiliar couple appeared on the sidewalk. They seemed to be no older than Remus, both well put-together and dressed as if they had just come home from their job. They hadn't even parked their car, which was sitting on the edge of the street.

Remus was puzzled. "Hello, can I help you?" He asked. "Teddy? Hang on, where's Teddy? Is he getting into worms again-"

Teddy smiled, running over and waving his hand at the couple, leaning back on his heels. "Wah-sher!"

"Hello!" The man smiled, seemingly more inviting than his wife. "We live just next door and we thought we'd come introduce ourselves. Name's Archie Sloan, this is my wife, Marina. We thought nothing would ever come of this place andjustthe other day, I saw the sign come down."

Mrs. Sloan nodded, on the verge of looking down her nose at him. "So, you all are the new neighbours."

Tonks turned on her heels to look at them, putting on a smile, leaning against the doorway. "Hello! Yeah, this is my husband, Remus. Oh, I'm Tonks. That's our son Teddy and this is our daughter, Elena."

Teddy turned to his parents, skipping up the steps and running into the house.

"Tonks, is it?" Mr. Sloan asked, curious, but in a bewildered way.

"Yes, Sir. I go by my maiden name. Just my maiden name."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah, actually. Everyone calls me Tonks. It's just Tonks."

"Right.Tonks... AndRemus? So you're Peculiar names. You... do have a first name, don't you?"

"Yes, Ma'am." She smiled. "But I don't use it. Dora, only with close family."

"Right... and what do you all do for a living?"

"Well, um, I'm a... teacher." Remus explained. He had finished off the school year, sort of against his wishes, even with Tonks still out from the action of being an auror, staying home with the two kids and as much mundane files the office could hand her, but having a baby come two months earlier than expected jolted all of their plans around. "And she's a, um, police... law... enforcer."

"Oh, really, do you teach locally?" Mr. Sloan inquired.

"Sort of, I-"

"He teaches privately." Tonks cut him off.

"...at a juvenile correctional facility! We met through work. It's a bit of a drive, not someplace too far though." Remus gave a nervous laugh.

"And you have... pink hair? Is that...allowedin the law enforcement?" Mrs. Sloan asked in a prudish manner, looking the woman up and down.

Tonks touched her head and nodded. "Oh yes, I'm- well, for one I'm not exactly the most public of figures. I took some time off to stay with the kids. What about you all?"

"We work our own law firm." Mrs. Sloan bragged. "Very accomplished, you can't miss it once you go into town." The couple simply gave an almost bored, curt nod.

"How old are they?" Mr. Sloan asked.

"This one's almost six months." Remus stated proudly. "I swear, not sure where the time's gone..."

"Teddy, can you tell her how old you are? You just had a birthday, didn't you?"

"Three!" The boy smiled and held up three fingers. His mother tried to slyly pull his grey cap down further over his hair, but was caught by the Mrs. Sloan.

"Isn't it a bit warm for him to be wearing that?"

Tonks didn't want to point out that the two were in stiff office clothes that must have been uncomfortable, which would only make her and Remus more out of place with their dirty and sweat-covered working clothes. She clasped her hands over the boy's ears to keep him from trying to correct her. "It's sort of histhingthat he does. We just go along with it and let him."

"Do you all have any children?" Remus asked.

"Yes! Three boys actually." Mr. Sloan smiled. "Seventeen, seven, and five."

"Wow, very um..."

"The oldest one was from a previous relationship." Mrs. Sloan cut her off. She glanced over at her husband. "Well, I suppose we ought to head home now."

"It was nice meeting you!" Tonks waved politely as the two retreated back to their car, mumbled to each other in a seemingly animated conversation. Her expression wavered when she turned back to her husband. "Well they were... something."

"You could say that again." Remus murmured. "I thought they were a second away from asking what happened to my face..."

"Come on, Teddy, let's go in and do some work." His mother said, picking up the baby. Teddy already scampered inside the house. "And leave your shoes on!"

"He's busy." Remus said lightly. "We can start in the dining area and make our way over to the kitchen, what'd you say?'

It was nightfall by the time the kitchen was completely done. They had hoped to work on the outside once the sun went down, but both if the Lupins suspected their neighbours were going to be nosier that expected.

"Now this is just too easy." Tonks announced, flicking her wand at the crumbled counters and cabinets that laid devestated in the floor of the house. They reassembled themselves, years of water damage and mold that had grown on them vanishing away, chipped and cracked paint rolling back up onto the wall to its original state before it had aged away in absence of care.

"It is, isn't it?" Her husband's tone wasn't as light hearted as hers. "Seems a bit unfair." He stated bluntly.

"It's not as bad as Grimmauld, at least. Bugs I can handle, ghouls living in toilets?No thank you."

That got a laugh out of Remus. It was hard to believe that six long years ago, they were cleaning out what used to be the Black House. Here, the ceiling wasn't caving in and the toilet didn't have ghouls, and there were no portraits that screamed racial slurs at people. Instead this was a house that no ordinary muggle wanted to live in because of how bad of a condition it was in. Thankfully, they weren't ordinary muggles and what is a little bit of water damage to them? The house wasn't wondrous or exceedingly impressive, but it had enough room for the family.

"I was going to suggest we start on the outside, but I suppose with the neighbours, they might notice." Remus told her, looking out the window. "Tomorrow, I can finish in the flowerbeds and do some minor repairs on the siding and the outside windows once the sun's down."

"Hey, Remus?"

"Yes?"

Tonks stepped back to admire her work. "You know, it's been nearly six months and that mess in Egypt refuses to blow over."

Her husband looked at her with concern. "What are you talking about?"

"Bill said he was going to go investigate in Egypt because there were rumours of tomb raiding and people, you know, stealing bodies and all that. They're still doing repairs. There's been four deaths already supposidly related to it and-"

"You aren't actually thinking about going toEgypt, are you?"

"I was only bringing it up because they're taking some names from the Ministry to try and get some of that stuff back. You know?"

"And you're thinking about volunteering?"

"It's not like-"

"Mummy!" Teddy asked, skipping into the kitchen. "Can I help? Can I help?" Teddy jumped down into the floor and bounced up and down in excitement.

"Sure you can." His mother told him. "In fact, tomorrow we'll can give you your own flower pot to look over, if you like."

"Is it hard?" Teddy wondered.

"All you have to do is water it and I'll show you how to weed it." She glanced down at his bare feet. "Honey, you need to be wearing your shoes."

"They fell off." The toddler announced.

"They fell off?" Remus inquired as he picked the boy up and set him on his hip. "Did a shoe-gremlin steal them?"

"No!" Teddy laughed. "I took them off!"

"You have to keep them on so that you don't step on any splinters or nails and put a hole in your foot." Remus explained. The living room was almost completely put together, minus any of the furniture.

"Are we going to live here?" Teddy asked. Suddenly, he looked terrified. "Are we going to go home? What about Patches?"

"Yes we're going to live here, but we're not going to move in today. We're going home. This isgoing to beour home when we get all of our things moved here, and Patches is coming too." His father said, sitting down in a lone dining chair occupying the living room with the boy in his lap and putting his socks and shoes back on. "And when we get the house sold, the water turned on, the loan paid off..."

"What's aloan?"

"Don't worry about it." Remus replied, tying the boy's laces. "Then Mum and I'll have to leave to go back to work."

"You're not going to leaveforever, right?" The boy wondered in a fearful voice.

"No, I'm not leavingforever.It'll just be for work, Teddy. So we can have money."

"Do youpromise?"The boy wondered.

"I promise." His father chuckled and shook his head as he tightened the shoes on the boy's feet. "Now keep these on, alright? How's your sister? Asleep?"

Tiny Elena was sound asleep in a muggle carrier seat, blankets stuffed around her to keep her from slumping over. Tonks came in from the kitchen, picking up the baby and holding her against her chest to check her over. Elena had had more episodes with the passing full moons, enough to warrant her mother's hovering nature, but thankfully lacking any sort of transformation. "Hi there, Sweetheart."

"Do you want me to take her for a bit?" Remus asked, his hand brushing against her back.

"Nah, she's fine." Tonks smiled down at the baby. "Besides, you smellawful.Youare going to need a shower when we get home."

He pulled the collar of his shirt up to wipe beads of sweat off the bridge of his nose. "Sorry."

Teddy teetered a run over to his mother, standing on her toes to get her attention. "Hi, Mummy!" He wrinkled his nose at her, peering over at the baby. "Hi, 'Lena."

"Hey, Little Man," Remus smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. "Careful stepping on people's toes."

"When will she be big enough to play?"

"Not for a good while, Teddy." His mother said sadly. "It'll be a while before she can walk, but she'll probably be able to do some things."

He watched the baby's face closely. "When will her hair change?"

"We already told you, her hair doesn't change like yours." Remus said softly. "She's not like you or Mum."

The boy frowned, his head tilting curiously. "Oh. Okay."

"Make sure you've got Howard before we leave. We won't be back until tomorrow." Tonks reminded the toddler, who quickly glanced around the room. When he was born, his father thought it might be too cliche or idolizing for him to have a stuffed wolf to carry around. Instead he got him an elephant, which they named Howard, and hoped Teddy wouldn't grow up with a fascination for wolves.

"Howard?" Teddy spun around, quickly looking for the toy.

"Do you remember where you saw him last?" Remus asked.

"Um," He quickly ran to the kitchen, pursued by his father, who tried to keep him for having a melt down. The baby gurgled in her mother's arms, waking up with a big yawn. Tonks rocked her gently.

"Teddy, he didn't go far, look, he's right here." There were now tired tears coming from the boy. "Teddy, it's okay. Look, he's right here, he isn't gone."

"Let's go home so we can get you two to bed, huh?" Tonks said in a bubbly voice to the baby.


	77. Tired

**AN: I have officially moved all of Abundance of Sunshine over here. I'll now be starting to post new content. I apologize again for stopping, then moving the story, then deleting, then coming back.**

 _Where am I?_

Tonks looked around her. Everything seemed to have a haze over it, the lights surrounded by blurry halos of gold. She didn't feel like a person, but rather a very heavy, drunk ghost. Every time she moved her head, the world seemed to move at an unnatural pace around her.

There were trees. Lots of trees. Tall, looming pines in every direction she turned. _Run_. She stumbled for a moment, her feet scattered on the ground as she picked up her pace, weaving between the trees. Where was she going? She felt like she was running in circles. Was she?

She couldn't keep going. The feeling of impending doom crept behind her as she fell forward against a tree. Something was chasing her, and she didn't want to find out what. Yet something inside of her begged her to find out. She tried to keep running, but she fell onto the ground, her face staring at a bed of dirt and pine needles.

Something sharp grabbed ahold of her leg. She felt herself scream, but nothing came out out her mouth. Tonks squirmed as she tried to grab onto something, the thing holding onto her leg feeling like it was dragging her away. All it left her with was clawing at the ground desperately. She didn't dare turn to look behind her.

 _"No... Please! Let me go!"_ Her voice... why was it so detached? _"Please! Someone help me!"_ Her movements became shaky. Tonks could tell from the way her weight shifted forwards and backwards that she had to be running, yet her body didn't seem to exist in a physical form. The pain that bared down on her leg still rang true through the lower part of her body, but she couldn't quite locate or pinpoint it. The world was spinning around her, but her feet-or whatever held her up-kept her going. She couldn't remember wading into what seemed to be a lake, except that she was completely submerged in the water. The shoreline disappeared. The waves began getting taller, crashing into her head. _Was she sinking?_

She took in a deep breath of air.

"Dora? _Dora!"_ A voice yelled at her.

Tonks felt paralyzed, her eyes darting around in confusion. Her face was hot, and tears were streaming down her face. Her legs began to relax and her feet kicked restlessly and someone grabbed her by the shoulders. She couldn't remember crying.

"Dora-" A low, raspy voice whispered. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"

"Remus?" Tonks groaned, and pulled herself up. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"You were... you were crying. Are you okay?" Remus was crouched down, and he rubbed his hand back and forth from her shoulder down her back. "I mean, you were crying in your sleep, and I thought you had to be choking. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Am I... are we in the floor? What's going on?" Tonks demanded in a near panic. She quickly shook her head. "I felt like I _was_ choking."

"You rolled off the bed. Are you alright? I was worried you hit your head on the nightstand or the bed." Remus helped her back into bed, sitting beside her. His wife shook her head, slumping over against his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I... I don't know what it all meant. It wasn't like-like watching you _die_ or like watching _myself_ die..." Her eyes were fixated on her hand, which was clentching the sheet into a fist. "Why was I crying? What was I saying? Was I saying something?" Tonks pleaded.

"You didn't say anything. You just... cried." Remus shook his head. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. Tonks didn't relax, instead, she began crying (and she was incoherently saying something, her words running together) and she wasn't quite sure why. He shushed her softly. "Don't be sorry. Stop saying sorry, darling. Your nightmares don't bother me; I'm just worried about you. I think... maybe you should think about seeing that muggle docto-"

"They're just _nightmares."_ She snapped at him. "I'm _frustrated_ because that's _all_ they are. Why is this such a problem?"

"They're interfering with your personal life." Remus sighed. "There are things you haven't gotten over yet."

"I've gotten over-"

"No you haven't." He cut her off sternly. "You're not over the war, you're not over Sirius or your father, and you're not over-"

"Remus," Tonks stopped him and pushed her husband off of her. "I'm done talking about this, okay? I had a dream about being chased through some goddamn trees. I don't recall anything about war and I don't recall anything about Sirius."

Remus didn't say anything. And Tonks responded only by watching him with her eyebrows raised.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"It's almost five." Remus said quietly. He pushed the covers off of him. "I'm going to go check on the kids. Try and get a little more sleep."

Tonks didn't reply as she sunk down beneath the blankets. She tried to distract herself, thinking about work and if Teddy was awake yet, shutting her eyes and burying her face in the pillow.

Remus slowly padded down the hallway. He cracked open the door to Teddy's room and scanned his eyes across the room. Teddy was sprawled out on his bed, asleep. Remus smiled at the boy, who had bright purple hair and a quiet snore. He slowly shut the door and backed out to go to his daughter's room.

"Good morning, Elena." Remus said in a soft baby voice, picking up the baby and rocking the baby in his arms. She coughed and gurgled baby noises as she woke up, sleepily nuzzling her father's arm, picking up her fist and put it in her mouth.

"Did you sleep well last night, hmm? Your brother's been sleeping through the night. Don't worry about him though, you don't have to worry about that just yet. Even he's still learning. Come on, you didn't eat that much last night when you woke up." He walked with the baby to the kitchen, bouncing her in his arm as he fixed her a bottle. "Let's not wake up your mum. I know you have to be hungry..."

Remus sat down at the kitchen table and he offered the bottle to the baby. Elena was hungry and she quickly latched onto the bottle, though her big brown eyes were still half closed. "There you go, Sweetheart. I knew you had to be hungry." She made a cooing noise, blinking her eyes completely open. When she finished the bottle, she made a sort of a twisted face with her nose. _"Oh my goodness."_ He propped her up on his shoulder, patting her on the back. He cradled her head and planted a kiss just beside her ear. Elena looked around the kitchen with wide eyes, taking in and gawking at the world around her.

"What do you see, huh?" Elena replied with a drooling baby noise. _"Really now?"_ She replied with another murmur as her father paced across the kitchen to make tea. "Oh, yes, I'm sure about that."

There was a shuffling sound coming down the hall. Tonks was dragging her feet as she came into the kitchen, wordlessly pouring herself a bowl of cereal. Remus gasped dramatically and turned so the baby could see her mother. "Who is that, huh? Is that Mum?" Elena gave a lopsided smile to her mother, reaching out her tiny arm towards the woman. "Say good morning, Mum."

"Good morning, Sweetheart." Tonks leaned over to kiss the baby on the end of the nose. The baby giggled and scrunched up her face with a smile. "Remus, do you think you'd be able to handle them for a few days?" She asked curiously.

"Oh come on, are you still thinking about going to Egypt?" Remus grumbled.

"Yes, I am." Tonks replied bluntly. "I'm not talking a six month trip or anything. Just a couple weeks."

"Do you know _any_ of the details about the mission?"

"Three weeks. Most of the work is patrol, I think. I don't expect a ton of duelling. Most likely, it'll be some snooping, making a couple arrests, hand off some artifacts to have them restored, and be home before you know it." She said dryly. "Here, let me take her."

"She's fine. She ate already, didn't she?" Remus said in a soft voice to the baby, who tenderly grabbed his chin, turning her to hold her better. "Dora, what if you have worse nightmares while you're gone? What are you to going to to do?"

"I'm not _'having nightmares'._ I had _one_ bad dream is all." Tonks stated defensively, distracting herself with making a cup of tea. Her husband bounced Elena on his shoulder and watched his wife from the opposite side of the kitchen. Besides the baby's bubbly mutters and the stirring of the spoon in the mug, the room was cramped with an awkward silence.

"Dora, are you okay?"

"Hmm?" Tonks turned around and took a sip of her tea. She winced and pulled back, her hand quickly reaching up to cover her mouth.

"Are you... are you okay?"

"Of course I am."

"I'm just asking because you were like this with Teddy." Remus knew he was treading carefully. "I don't know if there's any correlation, but your nightmares got worse right after he was born. Maybe this is something you should think about-"

"I think I can handle myself." She didn't sound unpleasant or rude, in fact, her voice was more stale and drained. It lacked full confidence of what she was saying, and sounded more like a faithful statement. He didn't argue, but he stopped her as she made her way across the kitchen.

"I'm just worried about you is all." He admitted.

"You're going to lose your mind with all that worrying you do." Tonks replied. She rested her hand on the baby's back and stood on her toes to kiss Remus. "If things get bad again, we'll deal with it then."

"That's what bothers me. Just because things have been _worse,_ doesn't mean-"

"Things aren't bad yet." She insisted. "Things are _good_ right now It was justone bad dream."

"For my sanity, will you at least try talking to someone again?" Remus tried to persuade.

"We could get caught if we try to find one of those... muggle doctors again. It's not like we can just divulge everything to those people. I dunno, I don't trust St. Mungo's to not just hand me a horde of cheer-up potions."

"You could use something to help you sleep. If we got a note, it could help save us from spending all our time and money-"

"I don't want to become dependant on something just so I can sleep."

"Can I finish?" Tonks bit at the inside of her mouth. He tried to sound more encouraging rather than pestering. "I'm just saying that you could try using something that'll keep you from having dreams when your stressed. Say you have to get up early and you're going to bed late because your bad dreams, you'll be exhausted at work."

Tonks thoughtfully brushed her hand against the baby's back. "I'll... I'll see ehat I can do. I'll do something."

"Mmmmmuuuhh." Elena babbled. Her father laughed lightly and her mother looked over at her husband with a surprised face.

"Yes, that's Mum." Remus smiled. Elena grabbed at his shirt and looked at him for approval. He sighed and shook his head. "God, she's up so early, I hope she's not cranky later."


	78. The Wizard In The Hopping Pot

Remus Lupin was humming along with the radio, folding together the sandwich he was making.

 _"...Don't need no broom, I'm flying free. I think by now it's plain to see I'm nothing without you..."_ The voice of Celestina Warbeck sang.

"What do you think?" Tonks asked, walking around the corner into the kitchen of the couple's small house.

"Hmm?" He looked up at her. His wife looked a bit freakish. "It's... _different_. It's sure, um... something." She was going undercover tonight in Knocturn Alley before promptly skipping town for a business trip, and had morphed herself into something unfamiliar. Her nose was larger and looked more squashed than usual. Her hair was oily black and uneven at chin length, her eyes almost covered by bangs. Her face looked more square now and her skin was more yellow, wrinkled around her mouth and eyes. She sort of looked like an older, sort of diseased version of someone in her fanily. Remus recognized her because of much time he had spent around her and recognized her by her mannerisms and how she walked, her ankles rolling inward or feet tucking in every few steps. "What time should I expect you back next week? Do you need me to get you from the Ministry? And I wasn't sure when you were going to leave, but I made you dinner."

"You didn't need to make food for me." Tonks smiled and walked over to her husband, draping her arm over his shoulder and resting her chin on her arm. "And you shouldn't expect me back." She stated firmly. "I'll be home at an ungodly hour on Monday night and if you're still up, I'll-" She stopped and made fairly smug expression.

"You'll do what?" Remus asked with a smirk. _"Hex me,_ Auror Lupin?"

Tonks was bad at hiding her smile. "Better not make me."

Her husband tilted his head to kiss her. "You know, I think you look lovely no matter what you look like." Remus commented. "The hair's kind of gross, though."

"Oh, thanks." Tonks rolled her eyes. "I haven't showered _just for you."_ She tapped her finger on the end of his nose.

"Lovely." Remus remarked bitterly.

"What are you two troublemakers up to?" Tonks asked, wandering over to the kitchen table. Teddy was plopped into a chair (he was getting big enough that he needed fewer books to sit on now), and had his arms wrapped around little Victoire, who was propped up on his lap and sharing his dinner with slobbery fingers.

Victoire, who was giggling and smiling, looked up to her godmother with terrified eyes, as if she was about to cry. Teddy, however, laughed when he recognized his mother out of habit.

 _"Mummy!"_ He exclaimed.

"Teddy!" Tonks smiled, walking towards him, which subsequently freaked out the little girl. Victoire gave a terrified, wide-eyed scream.

"Shh, sweetheart, it's just Aunt Dora." Tonks knelt down and tried to give a warm smile. "It's Aunt Dora."

"Mummy, you look funny." Teddy told her, still trying to hold onto the baby.

"Okay, _okay,_ Tonks backed up and gave a nervous chuckled. "Creepy Aunt Dora, alright."

Remus snorted. "You know who creepy Aunt Dora looks like?"

"Hmm?" Tonks asked, standing up. Her husband just shook his head and smiled to himself. "Who?"

"No one." He replied, though his face had a more smug look. Tonks rested her head against his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his middle. This only made him laugh harder and try to pull away. "Dora-"

 _"What?"_ Tonks laughed, dropping her morph, with the exception of her hair. "Who did I look like?" She asked curiously.

"A bit like..." Remus sort of tried not to give in, still sort of chuckling to himself. "I dunno what I'm even saying. Someone from another life, I'd say." He shook his head. "Convincing, but you did look a bit... _funny."_

"Funny, huh?" Tonks pried.

"Mhm." Remus nodded, pressing a kiss on her cheek. "Maybe try something else."

"Cat!" Victoire exclaimed excitedly. She had squirmed from the grasp of Teddy, running towards Patches.

"Vic, please be careful, he has claws." Tonks warned.

He stuck out his foot to put a barrier between the little girl and the cat. Patches, the family's part-kneazel cat, backed away and batted his paw at his owner's foot. "Hey, bully me, big guy, not the babies. Ah! No! Bad cat! _No!"_ He did a sort of one-footed hopping dance, pulling back from the angry feline.

Victoire giggled and sat up on the floor.

Teddy ran over and tried to pick the smaller child, though she weighed a lot more than he expected and it was more of a drag than a carry. "C'mon, Vicky!" He finally exclaimed, helping her to stand up.

Victoire smiled and trailed behind the boy down the hall.

"How's Elena?" Remus asked, carefully cutting the edges off the sandwich.

"Um-" Tonks smiled. Peeking around the corner into the living room. Teddy and Victoire had gathered a collection of stuffed animals that belonged to the three of them. Elena was propped up on a blanket, now fully awake after falling asleep after a small tantrum, holding a toy of her own in her mouth... though the older kids' toys seemed more appealing. "Up ro trouble, it seems."

Remus gave a small chuckle. "I think she's plotting."

"I think she gets it from you." Tonks remarked, patting on her pockets for her keys. "Alright, who has my keys?"

Teddy looked up happily with wide eyes. "I have them!" He picked them up and ran over to his mother, shaking them furiously.

"Where did you get these?" Tonks inquired, kneeling down to take the keys from him. Teddy pointed towards the counter. "Did you climb up there?"

"No." Teddy said nonchalantly.

Tonks was puzzled. Teddy didn't _seem_ to be lying, which was worrying because it either meant he was getting better at lying or...

"Remus?" Tonks turned to her husband, then back to her son. "Did Dad give you those?"

"No." Teddy said again nonchalantly.

"Then how did you get them down? Did they fall off? Were they by the edge?" She didn't sound angry, but there was an urgent curiosity in her voice.

Teddy shrugged. "I just got them down." He told her, smiling playfully.

"How?"

The boy shrugged again.

 _"Why?"_ He shrugged, his smile widening. Tonks chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Well, okay then, buddy. Just don't go taking other people's things, will you... Can I have a hug before I go?"

"Yes, Mummy!" He jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly. "I love you!"

"I love you too." She murmured, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. "I love you so much. Are you going to be good for Daddy?"

"Yes, Mummy!" Teddy said excitedly, pulling away as his mother straightened his shirt.

"Can I have a kiss before I go?"

He happily gave her a quick kiss. "When are you coming home? How long will you be gone?"

"About a week." Tonks assured. Victoire bounced on her toes over to her godmother. "Do I get a hug from you too?" Victoire smiled widely and threw her arms around Tonks. Teddy looked jealously towards her mother, wiggling himself around the toddler to hug her. Tonks laughed and sunk into the floor under the pressure of the two children. Even Elena crawled over in interest to join the hug. "Okay! Okay, guys!"

It took several more minutes for Tonks to get through the door between the excited hugs and eventual tears. After things went back to normal, Remus was left to coax Elena in trying to eat, Victoire watching curiously and Teddy seeming envious of all the attention.

"You know, Victoire's going to have a little brother or sister, just like you." Remus told Teddy, who was still sort of pouting after his mother left. He cut up pieces of a banana and handed them to the baby. "So don't go thinking that she and Elena have got something going against you."

Victoire was curiously watching the banana, as if she was wordlessly asking for one. Remus picked up on this and set the bowl down in front of Elena, going to get one for Victoire.

"I don't care." Teddy stated firmly.

"Oh come on, I know it's hard being the oldest child." Remus smiled.

"T'ank you!" T'ank you!" Victoire exclaimed happily, holding onto the half of a banana she was given proudly.

"You're welcome." Remus grinned. Turning back to Elena, she seemed to be in a sort of crisis. She was holding pieces of food in each of her hands, but there was still food on the plate? She had too much food and not enough hands! What was she to do? "Oh no!" Remus said playfully. "I think you have to eat some of it to hold onto more."

Teddy wasn't as amused as his father. "She can't even _eat food."_ He complained.

"Neither could you at her age. Neither could Victoire." His father reminded him.

Teddy just crossed his arms over in frustration. It was almost as if the baby was taunting him with a bubbly grin, sticking her fingers in her mouth.

"I suggest you stop pouting or nothing's going to be fun for you." His father told him. "You'll sit and look angry all the time and never enjoy anything. You'll just be miserable."

"No I won't." He quickly replied, though visibly angry.

"I'm not saying you can't express what you're feeling, but you really are wasting a lot of time and energy being frustrated." Remus smiled at the boy. "Maybe we go to bed early tonight, yes?"

"No!" He stomped his foot.

"Teddy," His father looked over at him sternly. Victoire was suddenly no longer preoccupied with her banana. "If you're tired and fussy, we'll go to bed. I'm sure you and Vic have plenty of time to play some other time."

"No!" He said more aggressively.

"Okay, okay." Remus took a deep breath. "Come on, let's... let's sit out for a bit."

"I don't wanna!" Teddy squirmed away as his father picked him up.

"Hey, we don't hit, do you hear me? Teddy, you can't hit me-" Remus said, holding him against his shoulder as he carried the boy to the living room. Victoire trailed behind, munching on her snack, but he had to stop her from following. He set the Teddy down on the couch and he was crying.

"I don't wanna go to bed!" Teddy exclaimed. His hair became a dark, limp brown.

"You don't have to go to bed early if you don't hit me, okay?" Remus tried to persuade. "Let's just sit here for a minute. You don't have to do anything. Just sit. Breathe. It's okay."

"I don't wanna go to bed..." Teddy cried with a snotty nose.

Remus smoothed thr boy's hair. A familiar toy elephant was lying on the floor beside his foot. He picked it up and handed it to the boy. "Here, here's Howard. You just sit with Howard for a bit. Bill'll be coming over soon to get Victoire and Elena's been up most of the day, so she's going to want to go to bed soon. Okay? Just sit out for a bit and take a break."

Teddy sniffled and nodded.

"Okay." Remus smiled, patting him on the leg before he returned to the girls. Elena had managed to get more banana on her face, head, seat, and table than in her mouth.

"Ted-y?" Victoire looked up at her godfather curiously.

"Teddy needs a little break." Remus replied taking out his wand to clean up the baby's mess. Elena was mystified as she watched the food disappeared. "He's not in trouble, he just needs a little break."

It was just a little bit later that Bill came over to retrieve his daughter. She was perfectly content falling asleep in his arms. "Thank you so much for taking her for the day."

"I think we owe you more than one favour." Remus assured, gently rubbing the girl on the back. "She's absolutely lovely. Didn't act up or anything."

"Yeah, we're not quite at that point yet." Bill chuckled, rocking her gently. "How are your two?"

"Hmm? Oh, well, Elena's how she always is, I suppose. Growing up fast on us though." He smiled at the thought. "Teddy's... well, he's _learning_ some things."

"Learning?" Bill laughed

"Sharing, manners... oh, you know, you went through that with your brothers and sister and all."

"Right." Bill nodded.

"I believe between the baby and with Dora and I switching around because of work, it's sort of created a mess for him."

"Are you going back next school year?"

"I hope so. Unless somehow I end up quitting halfway through because _another one_ shows up... or I get killed." Remus tried to joke. "Though I'm fairly certain I'm sticking around for a good while."

"How's Tonks doing?"

"Oh she's doing great. She left at about dinner time. Couldn't wait a minute longer.

"For work?"

"She's anxious to get out and go. You know how she is, too restless to sit still for months on end. As soon as she heard about the case you were working, I don't think she's gotten her mind off of it."

"She's always been persistent, I'll tell you that." Bill chuckled. He let out a sigh. "I better get this one home. She'll sleep through disapperating, but I'll need to get her down or she'll be up all night."

"I'll see you around, Bill." Remus smiled. "Anytime you need her off your hands, we'd always be glad to take her." The two friends parted ways and Remus had to get the two children to bed. Elena went down easily, but Teddy still seemed to be bothered by something.

"'...he pretended that his potions, charms, and antidotes sprang ready-made from the little cauldron he called his lucky cooking pot.'" Remus read, flipping the page to the book over with his free hand. Propped up in his other, was Elena, already fast asleep. Teddy didn't seem interested in _The Wizard In The Hopping Pot_ , his favourite of Beedle the Bard's collection. He was busy examining his toy elephant and the seams where his ears came to his head. "Teddy? If you don't want me to read, we can go to bed." The man offered.

"No." Teddy said simply.

"No what?"

"I don't want to go to bed."

His father brushed his hand over the boy's head and closed the book. "You sound sleepy."

"I'm not." Teddy wasn't in an angry protest. If anything, he seemed sad.

"Hey, what's wrong, Little Man? Something got you down?" Remus now felt genuinely concerned that something was wrong with the boy. "Are you feeling ill?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Then what's wrong?"

Teddy finally spit it out. "Why do you love Elena more than me?"

Remus quickly shook his head. "I don't love Elena more than you. What would make you think I did?"

"You and Mummy love her more than me. And Vicky." Teddy mumbled.

"Teddy, I've never loved Elena or Victoire more than I've loved you." His father reassured.

"Who do you love most-er?"

"Who do I love more? Of course, Victoire isn't my child like you two are, so I don't love her as much, but I still care about her a lot. And I love you ans your sister just as much, just... differently."

"Differently?"

"Yes, see, I've known you longer. I've seen you grow up a lot more than Elena because she's still little and I haven't spent as much time with her. But I still love her just as much as you, even if it's a different sort of love." Remus explained. "Just like I don't love you and Mum in the same way. Mum and I have known each other for a long time and we're _married._ I wouldn't compare how I love my best friend to my _children."_

"Why?"

"Well I can't talk to you and Elena about grown up things, for one."

"Yes you can!" Teddy began to smile. "You can talk to be about grown up things!"

 _"No."_ Remus chuckled and set the book on the nightstand. "I don't think you'd wantto to hear about _taxes_ and... oh, I dunno... _politics."_

"Yes I do!" Teddy grinned.

"Alright, well, even if you _did_ I would still want Mum around."

"Why? Is it 'cause she's the only one who can win you at cards? So then you have someone to play with?"

Remus laughed. "Because she's the only one that can win me at cards, that's very true Teddy."

"But you still love me... a lot, right?" The boy wondered.

"I love you more than anything you can think of." Remus smiled, kissing the top of the boy's head.

"More than Elena?"

He laughed. "I still love you two the same amount."

"But more than _Mummy_ , though, right? 'Cause I can't win you at cards, but I prob'ly give better hugs." Teddy smiled.

"You do give really nice hugs." Remus told the boy as he wrapped his arm around him. "I love you so much, but we've got to go to bed."

"But what about The Hopping Pot?" Teddy asked curiously, excited to hear the end of a story he had heard at least a couple dozen times.

His father let out a sigh and reached for the book. "Okay, okay, we'll finish the story..." The boy had already nestled into his arm, leaving him stuck balancing the two children and the book. Elena didn't seem to mind though. She seemed to enjoy a good book, so long as she could snore ever so faintly through it.


	79. Black Death

**AN: Just a quick note to my readers. I apologize for the abundance of typos I've notice recently where words run together without spaces likethis. This happens when something decides not to italicize, I guess? I've done some editing by going back and fixing a couple chapters, but it's still bothersome. Sorry. Don't know why it's not italicized. I've been really busy. Right now, I'm working on two different subplots for this story ;))) I kinda hate the chapter tbh, but I thought I'd send it your way anyways.**

The Ministry of Magic seemed to have outdone themselves. More often than not, they tended to send their aurors to what could be the bowels of a gutter or a ditch in the middle of nowhere. Sometimes, they would send aurors to the most isolated, grungiest, coldest, smelliest of places, and of course, they would agree to go. Today however, heavy dark muggle clothes seemed inappropriate for the setting, given how hot and sunny it was. Tourists and residents alike occupied the muggle hotel, knowing little to nothing of what was going on underneath the surface

Rumours of a strange flu were surfacing, but what, a simple antibiotic could cure that, couldn't it?

"Oi! Lupin!" A voice called from across the lobby. Practically running towards her, was a shorter man in a nearly overdressed muggle get up, carrying a suitcase. Recently, he had been sporting a new cut across his right cheek. Most of the muggles were gone for the day, and the wizards' work was just starting off their morning. In fact, seeing a collection of strange foreigners was somewhat unnerving, yet something that seemed perfectly normal to simply pass by as you pretended not to listen.

"Yes, sir!" Tonks smiled, turning around in her towards the voice. The hotel lobby had gladly provided their guests with enticing decour and furniture, it was almost easy to forget a few tragic... "accidents". Sunlight practically poured in through the glass windows that stayed high on the walls. It was comfortable, and even didn't even make her want to hold her breath. "Merlin's beard, where have you _been?"_

"All ove' the place." He panted. "How are ya holdin' up, Pinks?"

 _"Holding up?"_ She chuckled. "Dwight, what are talking about?"

"Oh, c'mon now, you've barely _spoken a word_ ta me since ya came back. It's been almost ove' _six months!"_ Dwight smiled and dropped his bag at his feet.

"Yeah, I know. The baby, the move, Remus gone working..." Tonks tilted her head thoughtfully. "Haven't you been out doing all the fun stuff while I was gone? You know, maybe if you stayed out of trouble for a while, maybe you wouldn't need me to do all the filing for you. And why did you have to run?"

"Gotta keep in shape, yeah?" His smile widened, though still obviously winded. "An' don' worry, there's still plenty o' trouble for ya to get into."

"Well then ya bet'er at least 'ave a photograph!"

"Here, here, I do." She sighed as she dug through her pocket for her photograph. Remus had given it to her just before she left as a present. Tonks was rather fond of it, actually, though she hadn't even known about it until someone finally remembered to get the film developed. On it, was a picture of Tonks when she first came home from the hospital with the baby, proudly displaying her for the camera. "I have a more recent one. Ah wait, here-" She took out a second that simply contained Remus playing with the baby on his lap, making faces.

"Cute." Dwight replied, still beaming at the pictures. "The baby, too."

Tonks slapped his arm, rolling her eyes as she took the photos back.

"And wha's the li'l chick-a-dee's name, huh? Don' qui' remember." He smirked playfully as he turned back to Tonks. "The baby, I mean."

 _"I swear to god,_ Dwight, I'll-" She laughed and shook her head. "Keep hitting on my husband like that, I'll make sure they'll leave you here."

 _"O' really?"_ He taunted.

"And you'll be all alone in some creepy-as-shit tomb forever." Tonks joked. "Elena. Her name's Elena."

"Elena. So no' like Elena, but like-"

"Elena, yes." She nodded.

"Le's see... shinin' ligh'." His voice suddenly shifted from joking to concerned. His arms crossed thoughtfully. "How's she doin'?"

"Oh, she's... she's good, yeah. Got... I dunno, not bad at all. Took her a bit to catch up, and she's still sort of sickly, but pretty good overall." Tonks seemed a bit distant from the conversation. "She's doing great, actually."

"Ya don' soun' like she is." He frowned. "Is she-"

"No." Tonks said, almost as an exclamation in a voice that was louder than she had intended. "She's fine."

"You sure?" He questioned.

"Positive." There was an awkward silence. "We ought to take this somewhere if we're going to keep talking." Tonks wiggled her room key between her fingers. "The muggles."

"Do ya know who yer roomin' with?"

"Uh, auror named... Roseanna." It took a moment for her to wrack her brain, trying to think of if she knew her. "You know her?"

Dwight shook his head, and the two made their way upstairs. "'Fortunately no', I'm afraid." They finally figuring out how to navigate the hotel, which seemed to have an almost backwards layout, they made it to her room. It was comfortable enough for three people, though it seemed she'd be stuck on the foldout couch rather than either of the beds. The younger aurors had staked their claims already.

"Is she incoming? From the new trainees?"

"What'd'ya say 'er last name was?"

"I didn't. Dunbrack."

"Dunbrack... Dunbrack..." His face became serious, his eyes visibly widening and his eyebrows raising with surprise. "Dunbrack! Yeah, I know 'er."

Tonks turned to him lowered her voice further, momentarily glancing away from the doorknob, jamming the key in the lock. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"Oh, hi, Tonks." A second voice interrupted from behind. Tonks flinched, spinning around to see who was behind her. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"No, no, you're fine." She smiled. "How are you, Harry?"

"Doing fine." Harry smiled back. Dwight still looked semi-starstuck when he happened to be around Harry. "How are you? And Remus and the kids?"

"Great, actually." Tonks nodded. "Curious, do you know a Roseanna Dunbrack?"

Harry scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Who's asking?"

"Me." There was a sort of awkward pause. "I'm spending the week with her."

Harry let out a quiet laugh. "Oh, that'll be fun."

"Really?" Tonks sighed, holding her finger to her lips. "Come on, what's so bad about her?"

"She's-"

"She's ah... somethin' else, I'll tell ya tha'." Dwight interrupted.

"...not exactly my choice of words, but that sounds about right."

"Really?" Tonks asked in a sick groan. "What about a uh... I think her name's Christine?"

"Oh, Christine?" Harry tilted his head. "Yeah, she's good."

"Did you know either of them in school?"

"I think I had Christine in Charms one semester, I dunno." Harry said dryly. "They were both in Ravenclaw, I think. Actually, I think Christine was a year or so older than me."

"Don't remember them, sorry." Tonks shook her head. She stumbled in the doorway, looking around the empty room.

"Is that Elena?" Harry asked, perking up to look at her photographs. He smiled proudly. "The kids are good?"

"Yeah. You know, I'm really glad to see so many people coming in to become aurors. Seriously, when I joined, it was a bunch of older men." Tonks looked sort of thoughtful. Then, she laughed. "It's ironic, isn't it? It takes an end-all war to make everyone want to become an auror..."

She gave a sort of comical look towards Harry. He laughed nervously and wrapped his arm over her shoulders. "Come on, Tonks, you sound a little ungreatful." He didn't sound awkward or insulted or frankly cocky. It had taken him a long time to realize that perhaps joking about his hardships, didn't mean he was being made a mockery of, which was frankly a learned behaviour.

She gave a dramatic and exasperated gasp. "Gosh, I just... you can't even imagine how... how _appreciative_ I am." She tried to keep from laughing as she leaned onto his shoulder, staring up at him in a dreamy way. "Oh, _Mr. Potter,_ you no idea how utterly... _taken aback_ I am to be in the Chosen One's presence. And to even mentioned how delightfully honoured I would be to have to be godfather of my children."

The two laughed.

"You better unpack. They're going to want us in an hour with the cursebreakers." Harry remarked. "Did they give you your potion yet?"

"Potion?"

"Yeah, they're giving all of us potions. Said they're supposed to help or... I'm not exactly sure, actually. They're passing it off to the locals, apparently making all this look like a bug people are catching."

"A... bug?"

"No, like a flu sor' o' thing."

"Oh! Right, gotcha, no, I wasn't given anything."

"Make sure ya do." Dwight gave a solemn look and shook his head. "Nasty stuff. They've isolated the curse for the mos' par' an' managed to convince the visiters to back off the infected places, bu' you know, people are stubborn."

"So we can cure it though, right?

"We can contain it." Harry explained. "We... hope."

"...hope?" Tonks inquired.

"Means we're makin' guesses." The man gave a very nervous laugh, turning to Harry for reassurance. It was an unusual look for him, given Dwight enjoyed acting like he never needed anyone to tell him anything. "A _lot_ o' guesses, actually."

"Fun." Tonks remarked coarsely. "Okay, but come on, why don't you tell me about our job here? What's with all the dancing around? Bill made it sound like we didn't even know it was... you know... bodies. I get it, we're still figuring things out, but st-"

The younger auror looked off, as if trying to conjure the memory. "Okay, so there are two versions of the original story. One's that some... person, somewhere, disturbed one or multiple bodies. They thought maybe it would give them power or maybe they were looking for an enchanted artifact. Or maybe a curious muggle went poking around and it disturbed the bodies. Now some ancient curse has made a few people drop dead, makes it look like some flu, and we have to figure out how to reverse it."

"Do the potions actually work?"

Harry gave an uncertain look. "Like I said, we're skeptical, to say the least. Local wizards have given us the go ahead and they surely know more than us. Make up a story to keep people safe and all."

"Was that it? You said there were two stories, or-"

Dwight shook his head. "The other story's tha' someone did get their han's on some curse and tha's wha's gettin' people so sick."

Tonks swallowed the knot in her throat. "And you don't... believe that, do you? Seriously?" The two aurors looked between themselves and gave hesitant shrugs. "I mean, what? Some You-Know-Who wanna be, fooling around with dead bodies? That wouldn't-" She didn't finish her statement. "Right."

"We can' say wouldn' when there's so many crackpots out ther'." Dwight declared.

"So what now? Do we take inventory of the tombs or something? Is there a ritual to bring peace to the dead? Do we just... help the sick? How does the curse spread exactly?"

"Contact, we think." Harry shook his head.

"So we just isolate it and give them the potion." Tonks's expression was urgent, pressing the two men. "Correct?"

"Don' cure it, though."

Quite literally, she threw up her hands. "Great. Okay." Tonks sighed. "Okay."

"I think if we can figure out what happened, we'll be able to get to the bottom of this." Harry shot het a guilty look. "Believe me, we're as frustrated as you."

"You could try not dancing around things and giving me not-answers." Her voice twinged cynically. "I quite enjoy knowing how to do my job."

"If ya think we're dancin', then the Ambassador must've been doin' a bloody _fuckin' jig."_ Her partner tried to look. Strangely, his sense of confidence, even in the most complex and terrible times. He could front a smile in the worst situation, like he could tame a dragon with a wink, even if he knew he couldn't. And somehow, that made Tonks feel a little bit better. "Chin up, Lupin. Le's get a go on. We're wastin' time."


	80. Lemon and Pistachio

"Daddy?" Teddy tilted his head. Today, his face looked more like his mother's, though his hair was a bright blue. "Are you sick?"

"Oh, I'm feeling fine." Remus sighed. He was sprawled out on the sofa with Elena asleep on his chest. With school starting, the kids had been staying with their grandmother, but their father had been trying his best to come home at every opportunity. McGonagall hadn't seemed upset, even understanding when Remus asked for a couple extra days around the full moons to see his children. She had even insisted he bring them to the school for a day so she could see them, and Remus had promised he would one day. "I thought you were supposed to be napping..."

"Why are you sleeping? Let's play!" Teddy bounced up in exclamation.

"Shh. Teddy, you're going to wake up your sister." He quickly remarked. "She's just tired is all."

"Mummy said you were sick. She said you aren't going to get better." The little boy recited, inquizitively rather than full of fear or unease. "Is Lena sick like you?"

"Your mother said... what?" Remus initially tried to sit up, forgetting about the sleeping baby. Elena, however, wasn't pleased that she had to move and protested with a sort of grunt. Remus had, of course, known something about his wife talking to Teddy about his "sickness" in passing, but Teddy seemed to have a blunt and sort of gruesome response to his mother's explanation.

"Mummy said you were sick. That's why you have to be gone. 'Cause we might get sick."

"I- Well, sort of

"Did you sneeze on her?"

"Did I...sorry, what?"

"Did you sneeze on her? 'Cause that's how you get sick."

"I... No, Teddy, I didn't sneeze on anyone... that's not how it... no, it's not like that. Sometimes you get sick in other ways."

"Like what?"

"Well, sometimes people are born sick. And we just don't know why. Like Elena, we don't exactly know everything about her."

"Oh... did someone sneeze on you?"

"Well, um... see- people generally fall ill because they're exposed to germs. Like sneezing, for example. I got my kind of sickness when I was... younger and I was, er, exposed to a very certain kind of germs. But it's not like a cold. It's not easy to get sick like me. You can't just sneeze on someone."

"So she not sick?" Teddy questioned.

"No. Lena's fine. Lena's not sick, she's just a baby. This is what babies do. They sleep and cry and all." He explained, rubbing his hand over Elena's head. "But you know, she's been getting bigger, if you can't tell. She'll be growing more, and soon, she'll be walking... and you two'll get to play together." He slowly pulled himself up, cradling his daughter to his chest.

Teddy's expression became sour all of a sudden. "But can we still play?"

"Of course we can. Here, just give me a minute to wake up. I'll put your sister down." He rubbed his eyes. "What do you want to do?"

With Elena asleep in her crib, Teddy was indecisive about what he wanted to do, before settling on working on a puzzle. It wasn't exactly difficult, but Teddy was excited just as much.

"Here, I think this one is supposed to go there." He pointed out. Teddy sat up beside his father, grabbing a puzzle piece from across the coffee table. "Look at you! You've got this!" Remus encouraged, wrapping his arm around the boy and playfully tickling him.

Teddy laughed and hugged him. "Stop it!" He whined, falling over and stretching out on the floor. There was a faint knock on the door. Stifly, Remus pulled himself up, clumsily banging his knee on the table. He sort of did a painful hop over to the door. The couple usually didn't have visitors without warning. Perhaps it was a package? Or maybe Andromeda was coming to visit the kids. Bill, Harry and Ginny had known that Tonks was gone; he could be coming to stop by.

It took Remus a minute to recognize who was at the door, even after opening it. "Hello?" He put a smile on. "Can I help you with something?"

Teddy curiously hopped over, but he timidly hugged his father's leg. "Wacher." He murmured.

There was a woman fixed at the door with dark hair, wearing a pastel blue sweater and white pants, and holding a plate covered with clear saran wrap, her handbag draped over her arm. She gave a grin that came across as more of a smirk. "Mr. Lupin? How are you?"

"Uh, I'm doing well!" His smile faltered. "And, um, remind me again, you are?"

"Marina Sloan. From next door." Her voice was smooth, charming. "Is your wife home by chance?"

"No, sorry. She's gone for the week." Remus nodded. His hand gently brushed over his son's head. "Would you... like to come in?"

"If that's alright." Mrs. Sloan seemed to welcome herself in. "I had been doing some baking. There was some leftover that I thought you all might like." Teddy seemed to perk up at the mention of sweets.

"Thank you." Remus nodded, shuffling his his feet to take the plate from her. he chuckled. "I'm sorry." He glanced down at the toddler that was clinging to his leg. "Hey, Little Man, can I have some room here?"

"Can I have one?" Teddy asked. He trailed into the kitchen behind his father.

"Let's see... I don't know if you like these." Remus replied, peeling back the wrap to examine the pastries.

"They're lemon and pistachio shortbread." Mrs. Sloan said, curiously wandering around the living room.

"You wouldn't like them." Remus turned to his son and shook his head. Suddenly, a panicked thought struck him. He scurried back to the living room, busying himself with picking up toys from being in her way. "So, um, what- could I get you something to drink? Please, feel free to sit down." He tried to ask. He made himself look like he was focusing on cleaning up, subtly flicking his fingers towards the picture frames on the mantle, forcing them to freeze.

"No thank you." She remarked. Remus was just quick enough that he froze a photograph as Mrs. Sloan picked it up, before she noticed. Her lips turned up and she showed the photo to the man. It contained a photo if Ginny and Harry, holding Teddy for the first time. "Do you have older children?"

"No, no, those are his-their, er, godparents." He smiled. "They're great kids. They babysit all the time for us..." Remus sort of had the awkward thought that perhaps she didn't care.

"I heard about your recent... situation." The woman said quietly.

"Ah, sorry, I don't follow." Remus stated, staring at her. "Situation?"

"Oh please, don't let me say it in front of the boy." Mrs. Sloan said, looking down at Teddy. Remus sort of grabbed Teddy by the shoulders, holding him close. "You said you had a house cat go stray, did you not? Your wife came knocking a few days ago. She... is the one, with the um, the pink hair, yes?"

"Yes. Patches." Remus turned to Teddy and shooed him along. "Go on. I'll be there in a minute." He waited until he knew Teddy wasn't spying to usher the woman to continue.

"What happened? Did he simply just bolt out the door?"

"No, he-" Remus paused. "Either my wife or I left the kitchen window open one night and he crawled out over the sink."

She frowned sort of sympathetically. In an unusal gesture, she reached out to pat-practically grab ahold of- his arm. "I can't imagine. And you don't know who left it open?"

"No." Remus chuckled nervously. "I suppose we were too busy trying to keep the stove from smoking..." A wave of sadness and guilt washed over him suddenly. Breaking it to Teddy was difficult, and the couple prayed Patches would show up in a tree, somewhere. A couple of times a day, Remus even bothered to pace the yard with a dish of food, calling the cat's name (he didn't dare let the neighbours catch him in his bathrobe, making strange kissing noises up a tree at eleven o'clock at night, but was sure they already thought he was going mad).

Mrs. Sloan casually glanced upwards. "You all don't have smoke detectors." She declared, releasing her grip.

"We haven't had them installed yet." He threw in quickly.

Remus opened his mouth to say something else, but she stopped him. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, and I'm sure your family must be devastated."

"Tell me what?" He hadn't wanted to ask.

Mrs. Sloan dug through her purse, and pulled out a slashed strip of fabric, holding a dangling metal tag reading, "Patches Lupin" and another with immunizations on it. It had been blue, but streaks of dried blood stained it. Remus held it out in his hand, turning it over and over.

"Poor thing met his fate at a fender." She frowned. "There wasn't much left of him. I'm sorry if you would have wanted any remains. I simply buried what bones I could scrape up. You know, didn't want the kids to have to see." He didn't need to explicit explanation, and he winced, shutting his eyes.

In a deep breath, Remus tried to put on a wary smile. "Well, I'm... I hope it was at least quick. Dora'll be frantic when she hears, but I suppose there's nothing left to do now."

"I am sincerely sorry." Her face felt... off putting. Something in the twinkle of her eye was bothering Remus and he wanted her out of his house as soon as possible.

"I suppose I ought to tell Teddy. And I have a list of chores I ought to get done before Dora comes home-" Remus turned and gestured to the (damn-near-spotless) kitchen, in reference to his need to clean it. "Thank you for coming by. I'm glad we could at least salvage this." He held up the collar. "And thank you for-"

"It's no problem." Mrs. Sloan said quickly, almost as if it was all one word. "I'll get going."

Flashing one last shining grin, she turned to walk herself out of the house, leaving Remus alone in the kitchen. Dora would feel awful when she found out. Remus supposed there was no need to devastate Teddy with the news. He'd ask again and again for an update on Patches and Remus would simply say he knew nothing. Eventually, Teddy would get bored or forget.

He set the tags far enough back on the counter that Teddy couldn't see or reach it.

"Teddy?" He called as he washed his hands in the sink. "She's gone."

Teddy's head bobbed around the corner, and he skipped over to him with a wide grin. "Can I have one now?" He asked, pointing at the dish.

Remus went over, peeling the plastic back and breaking one of the abominations that Mrs. Sloan had made in half, splitting it with his son. "You won't like it." He assured, taking a hesitant bite alongside his son. They gave each other identical looks of confusion and disgust, spitting out the remains of whatever "dessert" Mrs. Sloan had intended on making.

"Teddy, promise me something." Remus said, picking up the plate.

"What?" Teddy asked curiously, watching as his father dumped the rest into the bin.

"If Mrs. Sloan asks what we thought of her baking, it was delicious and we ate all of it." Remus nodded, scraping the rest into the garbage. "And what do we say?"

"T'ank you!"

"That's right. We say thank you."


	81. Before The Storm

"Hello!" A nervous, mousy voice exclaimed from behind, making Tonks jump with surprise.

"Merlin's bal-Hi! Wotcher! How are you?" She replied, sighing as she sat down on the couch that was supposed to be her bed. The spring in it made an unhappy verbal objection to her. Tonks tried to put on a friendly smile, though her heart was still in a startled race. "I didn't here you come in the door."

"Oh, that's alright." The other woman seemed tall, almost lanky, like she hadn't quite grown out of her awkward teenage years. Her hair was cut short, similar to Tonks' current style, though this woman's was naturally almost black. "I'm great! You must be Nymphado-"

"Tonks." She interrupted and held up her hand. "Just Tonks."

The younger woman slapped her hand over her mouth and cringed. "I am _so sorry._ I had no idea, no one had really informed me. Honestly though, I thought I was going to mispronounce it. Did I mispronounce your name? I'm s-"

Tonks politely stopped her again, laughing lightly. The witch talked so quickly, she could hardly keep up. " 's all good. Just call me Tonks next time."

"Tonks. Right. Got it. Right on." The witch chuckled awkwardly. "You're a senior officer, right? Roseanna and I are still juniors. Wait, shit, did I introduce myself? Christine. How did you get promoted, by the way? Wait, am I allowed to ask that? Okay, and I have to ask did you dye your hair yourself? It looks great by the way! Pink's really your colour-"

"Okay, stop, stop, stop." Tonks shook her head. The woman opened her mouth to apologize, forcing her to butt in. "You're fine, you don't have to apologize."

"I know, but I-"

"I was one of the last aurors under Alastor Moody and I fought during the war." Tonks explained simply, moving her belongings to a more perminant place. "I uh... I sort of had a foot in the door with the experience."

"He trained you personally?" Christine asked, her eyes growing wide. "I only heard of him. And with that whole mess back in '94 going public and all. But still, I heard it was hard to get picked."

She tilted her head in thought. "More or less. His 'training' had always been firsthand experience. Throw someone right into combat on their first day. Have them handle death eaters on their first week. Learn from your mistakes to pass the tests."

"You probably had good scores though? Like, _really good,_ right?" Christine asked.

Tonks chuckled. "Ah, average. He, er, he wasn't very... _conventional._ Wasn't a fan of all the necessary book work and the technicalities and the _paperwork..."_

"Really? You know, I studied hard for weeks and I still failed Stealth and Concealment."

"You have a lot to say, don't you?" Tonks cut her off, trying to make a joke. "It's alright, I failed that one too. I made too much of a racket."

Christine seemed to take this as a compliement, even laughing. "Yeah, I'm pretty bad about it. And I did too!" She reached out and touched her on the arm. "You know, I'l be honest, I was sort of worried about coming here, you know? And I had no clue even the first thing about who you were. I dunno, I guess I imagined everyone from before the war as some old woman. No offense! Your name just sounds... old, I guess." She gave a nervous laugh. "Not that you're _old."_

"I'd better not be." Tonks teased. "It's a Black name. My mum was one. I think it's a bunch of syllables mashed together, I dunno."

"Oh! And you er, might want to change before you head out."

Tonks glanced down at her clothes. "Right. Um, good observation. Do you happen to know what would be the most appropriate to wear? No one filled me in on that." The other auror had on long pants and a shirt.

"No shoulders and no knees was all I was told." She shrugged. "And no, like," Christine made a gesture towards her chest.

"I... have no idea how to pack, do I?" Tonks fumbled through her suitcase. "Got it. Okay." She sighed, staring down at a skirt that she knew would more than likely try and kill her and reached her ankles. "My clothes have gone from fitting to not fitting, my whole closet is a mess... Did they say anything about hair?"

"Hair?"

"Yeah, like hair colour. Do I change it or keep it?"

"Do you have time to dye it, or...?"

"Don't worry about it." Tonks sighed. "Look, I was told to go get a

There was a nearly unbearable stench coming from somewhere in the hospital that resembled the smell of festering infection and death. Hoarse coughs came from the other side. A large sign was posted in front of the ward, reading,

 _"من فضلك ، من أجل سلامتك ، ابق خارجاً"_

 _"Please, for your safety, keep out."_

Tonks scratched at her hand nervously. They had been told to wait in the hallway for a nurse to get the injection. Poor families and funding had left the hospital to make use with what it could, and focus funding more on the expensive medications and equipment, rather than wall paint or floor tiles... or any means of keeping stray cats out. Though according to what Tonks had heard, it wasn't a common occurence, an orange tabby felt proud enough to stroll through the hall as if unaware of anything or anyone else.

"Yeah, I bet tha' _wall's_ doin' a pretty _proper_ job, don't you?" Dwight said under his breath. He knocked on the clear tarp hanging on a metal rod, separating the ward from the hallway. Behind it, supposidly, was an airborne virus.

"Wish they'd hurry up." Tonks muttered in an equally frustrated tone. "The sooner I get away from said _wall,_ the better I'll feel."

"Don' feel so bad. I's not like we'd jus' let them muggles 'ave at it." Dwight replied. "There's a safeguard."

Tonks glanced down at her hand. A swollen, bright pink welt sat, mocking her with an insatiable itch. _Brilliant._ "Safeguard." She repeated. Her statement felt too bitter; whoever had been brave enough to set it up had at least made an effort to do something to help.

"Yeah."

"So what is this... shot supposed to do exactly?" Tonks asked, almost nervously.

"Well, it's supposed ta keep ya from gettin' it." Dwight remarked. "I dunno, like a small bit o' it- I dunno how it all works, okay?"

"I know, but you said 'supposed to.'"

"You know wha' I meant."

"I sort of don't." Tonks turned to face him. "Look, I've told you. Give this to me straight: are we looking at not going home?"

"Aren' we always?" He replied dryly.

 _"Dwight."_

 _"Tonks."_

 _"Seriously._ What are we dealing with here really? Why aren't they doing a mass evacuation? Why are we just sitting and waiting to find out if this works?" Dwight just looked bored. "I know things are different for you and all, but I don't want to go home just to have something happen to my _family._ I want to know if we'll even _be going home-"_

"Ma'am?" A woman with a thick accent and a clean cotton headscarf dabbed a cold cotton ball on her arm. Tonks quickly grabbed his forearm and held him firmly in place from pulling away as the woman stuck her with the needle.

He sort of smirked. "You've got two kids, but ya can' even-" She shot him a dirty look. "What?" It was enough to make him stop and let her hold onto his hand.

Her eyes cut into him, and the nurse pulled away with the syringe, rubbing her arm with the cotton ball. She hadn't paid his face much attention, but his skin looked a sickly colour, and his eyes had a weary and glazed appearance to them. Tonks stumbled backwards. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Are you feeling ill?"

"Wrong?"

"Yes, what's wrong with you?" Dwight shrugged.

"If you aren't feeling well, you need to go talk to someone."

"I'm not-" His voice sounded sort of amused. "I'm fine."

"Are you? Because I'm sort of planning on not getting sick here and it you-" Something seemed to click in her mind. She slapped his arm. "Sparrow Dwight, are you _seriously_ _drunk-_ "

He didn't exactly react.

"What? Are you drinking right now or something?" Tonks knew there had been a problem in the past and she was well aware that he didn't seem bothered enough by her noticing to do much hiding. It had always been small things, like how sometimes how exhausted he looked when he showed up late and she had to play it down to keep them both from getting in trouble. Sometimes she suspected he had been drinking at work, but that wasn't something she was going to rat him out on. Other times, he'd have a black eye or two. Easy enough to pass off in their line of work, but Tonks took notice nonetheless. She told herself that he was just as good and qualified as she was and that until he was incapable of doing his job, she'd keep her mouth shut.

"I _was_ drinking." He turned his head downwards, looking down his nose at her.

"On _work?_ _Are_ _you serious?"_ She growled. "And you show up looking all-all-" Her hand made a flourishing gesture towards his face. "You look like shit, Dwight."

"Mor' than usual, I suppose? I do it back at home." He responded bluntly. "You didn' seem ta notice then."

"Well, congratulations. You're great at lying, aren't you?" She crossed her arms. "We aren't talking about at home, we're talking about going to a foreign country and showing up looking like you-"

He lowered his voice to coax her into doing the same, leading her back down the hall where they came from. "I didn' _lie-"_

"Lying about being sober is still lying." Tonks cut him off. "Besides, don't you seem to understand the principle her? You have people you can talk to, do you not? You know you can trust me, and I'm sure that if you went in and were absolutely honest, you could get the help that you need-" The conversation felt like nothing more than talking to a brick wall, so she tried striking a nerve to get a response from him. "Is this about your wife?"

 _"You-"_ He turned around quicker than she could react, and Tonks instantly regretted it. His eyes were angry and they sliced through her, her own eyes shamefully staring around the narrow hallway. _"Please don't pretend_ like you know any damn thing abou' wha' I'm trying ta get through right now."

"Why?" Tonks posed. "Because you're the only one who's ever had problems before? Look, you know you can talk to me, I want to help you."

"Why? So you can make yer own self feel better?"

"Because maybe I care about you enough that I don't want to see you stumble around like some _bloody hungover fool!"_

"Oh why? Are ya _embarrassed?"_ Dwight mocked.

"Shut _up._ " Tonks snapped. "I'm not embarassed? Can't you see? If we're just going to stand here and fight, then there was no point in us being sent here."

He didn't reply. Just turned around and walked away from her. Tonks trailed behind him, stumbling on the hem of her skirt.

"Dwight- Dwight, please, talk to me, will you? I'm sorry, that was irrationally harsh and I shouldn't have dug at you like that." She pleaded. He shrugged up his shoulders, his hands fitting into his pockets. "So now you're too frigid to talk to me or something, huh? I'm sorry. But when you show up to work looking like shit, I'm not exactly sure what you want me to say."

"You didn' have to say anythin'."

"I-" The outside sun was brutal. Its rays felt as if they were chewing through her clothes and scorching her skin. Tonks clumsily dodged around people to keep up with him, but his pace was quicker than hers. "I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm worried about you. You can't keep this up."

"I know I can', but thank you for tha' professional opinion."

"You're-" Tonks ran out of words to continue with.

"I'm?" He compelled.

"I'm sorry." She confessed. "I know having me nagging you is the last thing you would need and I'm sorry."

"It's _fine,_ Pinks." His voice didn't sound reassuring or kind. It felt hollow and strange, even if it wasn't directly hateful or disappointed. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to do something that would let him know how much she was concerned, or how much she worried that he'd get caught and tossed out or hurt to a dangerous extent. "I've got it under control."

Her teeth nervous bit at the inside of her cheek. She wasn't going to stand and fight him all day long. It was utterly pointless.


	82. Foresight

Tonks was trying to wait patiently, twisting in her chair out of boredom. The Ministry of Magic here was smaller, hence the reduced size of the auror department. Looking around, it was easy to tell that there had been some recent major budget cuts. There was an unnerving amount of cleared off desks, most of which looked worn down or were wobbling to one side or the other.

"Elroy went and made copies of the interrogations. Had to translate it for you." The auror stated, handing a copy to Tonks.

"Thank you so much." Tonks smiled, taking the papers. "Much appreciated."

"No problem." The man nodded before walking off.

The first report was sad. It was from a wife of a muggle historial conservation officer. He had yet to come home, and he had been acting strange, almost neurotic around the time Elena was born. By spring, he was gone without a trace. The person even noted how emotional the woman became while describing him. He had simply gone to work one day and never came home, never telling her anything about his job.

The second interrogation was the man's office partner. He had been assigned to follow the first man into the tomb, but had turned back at the last second. He was the last person to completely enter the tomb, passing through all of the curse's checkpoints, and he was the last person to see the first man to go missing. The colleague had then been the first confirmed death.

There were other accounts of aurors too afraid to enter the tombs, or had been unable. It seemed like any time someone got close enough to the scene, they were either injured or close enough into it, something would go awry. Seizures and blackouts, dislocated shoulders... Bill Weasley had even personally made a claim of going blank, before seeing flashing images of terrible looking creature. That seemed to be common as well. Though this "curse" had symptoms that could spread like a wildfire, only the people who had been directly affected had horrifying visions and nightmares... though none could describe the imagery when the woke up, only the utter distress afterwards.

"Wonderful." Tonks mumbled to herself, letting out a deep sigh. Dwight was off... who knows where. He had refused to speak to her. Something told Tonks he was less than working, but she wasn't about to take her own time off to go hunt him down and drag him in to sober up.

Worst of all, was the case of the destroyed village. Just a couple of miles away from the tomb's opening, which was a hole cut into a cave and almost completely shut up, an entire village went up in flames overnight. No distress signals. No survivors. No trace left behind. The only thing they knew for certain was it was directly by attempts to ignore or destroy the cave. The curse was fighting back.

She felt like she had to be close to something in the case. _Anything._ Thinking on it, that had to be why she had been wanting to come here so badly. Sure, any reasonable person had daydreams now and again of grandiosity and success. That maybe _they'll_ be the ones to swoop down and save the day. But then there was a different motivation: that there was something hiding about the copious amounts of witness statements that would lead to the solving of the mystery. Placing the pieces together-or trying to-and the sense of completetion made the job satisfying enough, to know that all the loose ends were tied up... but it _didn't._

It had been hours. Aurors shuffled in and out-British, American, and Egyptian-though only one stopped to say anything to Tonks. But the same question seemed to bother her, if there were so many people, some of who were practically loitering, why were they still being sent? What was their purpose? Were they supposed to heal these unhealable people? Were they supposed to send auror after auror into ancient burial places to fight through curses and just send the next person in when they die or go into quarantine?

There had to be _something_ _else_ here.

"Do you want lunch? I heard you'd been cooped up in here all morning." A voice crept up behind her.

"Ah, um, hello." She smiled, looking over her shoulder. "Oh, well, I was just-"

"Great! We're heading out." A second voice announced bluntly, already skirting towards the door.

"We- Shouldn't we invite her?" Christine was being less than discrete in turning over her own shoulder to Roseanna Dunbrack.

"No, let's just go." Roseanna replied bluntly.

"Bu-"

Tonks tried to wave it off with a smile. "You guys go ahead. I'm just trying to catch up on papers. I'm sure they're public knowledge, I just want to keep on top of things. Hey, if you need a warrant for any ques-"

"Come on, Christine!" Roseanna's voice bellowed from the doorway.

"Catch up with you later, yeah?"

"Um, wait, before you go-" Tonks tried to grab her arm in a non-threatening way to get her attention, but she felt it came across like she was trying to grip onto the woman's forearm. She made a sort of slapping motion before recoiling. "Sorry um, could I ask you something?"

"Yeah, of course." Christine grinned politely.

"Where were you all today?"

"We-" Her smile faded and her eyes darted sideways. "I'll be honest, several of us had the day off. I just dropped in to see you."

"Why?"

"We're going in to one of the smaller tombs today and tomorrow. Something about practicing being exposed to the curses and how to fight them and all. And they uh, they wanted to give us part of today off in case, you know, something happened..."

"Yeah." Tonks nodded sincerely.

"They're doing a sort of raffle? Of all the cursebreakers and aurors? If you don't volunteer, they're picking names and stuff to send them to the tomb in pairs. You know, the one linked to the curse? Just thought you ought to know so you can be ready." Christine told her in a low voice. "That's what we're doing. Just in case we get picked, you know?"

Tonks was absolutely astonished. "That's _suicide!"_

"Christine!" Roseanna growled, stomping over towards them. "Shut up, we were suppose to be keeping this _quiet!"_

 _"What?"_ Her voice broke. "What, you mean you weren't supposed to tell me or something?"

The two junior officers exchanged looks with each other.

"They're picking from the older aurors. Just thought I'd let you know." Roseanna practically spat, turning on her heels and leading Christine away.

Tonks didn't want to eat lunch or dinner. Her stomach churned and growled up into her chest, but she was too busy pacing the small hotel room, befuddled in trying to sort through her thoughts. She wondered why the others weren't back yet. Were they actually being serious about forcing people to go in to fight the curse? Were the actually _raffling_ them out if they didn't volunteer? Her questions were answered when she found the information flyer that was _allegedly_ given to all the aurors and cursebreakers... which was conveniently stuffed aside, buried beneath some things on the bedside table. While she had been busy trying to babysit Dwight, the two had missed their orientation. Yet _another wonderful opportunity_ to keep them in the dark.

She was furious. This wasn't suicide. This was _homicide._ If someone as much as coughed in front of a window in their own home. they'd be dragged out to the hospital with little chance of seeing their family again and little chance of not getting the sickness if they didn't already have it. By forcing people in instead of closing off the area and sealing it up, they were just exposing _more people!_ The whole thing was just _insane_ and _foolish_ and-

Tonks tripped over the rug, smashing her knee into the corner of the wall. "God- _motherfucking-_ _damn it!"_

All she could think of was the village. People with families, jobs, lives... Old grandmothers and grandfathers, babies, hardworking parents... the report had described in fairly vivid detail how the town was destroyed with only collapsed frames of houses and skeletons with melted flesh left behind in the ash. Whatever monster of a curse this was supposed to be, it was demanding to be fed.

She shivered. No one was back yet, so there was nothing stopping her from changing into her pajamas in the middle of the room. Tonks watched her leg as the peeled back skin turned bright red and a few droplets of blood bubbled up from underneath. She thought of all the people she worked with. Harry, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, who killed He-Who-Must-Not-Be and destroyed all the horcruxes... and who still had an entire lifetime ahead of him. Dwight, who dealt with all his problems by trying to forget they were ever there, who never would believe in a million years that he'd be a soul that deserved a chance at living.

Then... herself. How many _Teddys_ and _Elenas_ had lived in that village that would never get to grow up? That would never get to live to see their next birthday? Or Christmas? Or what about all the _Harrys_ and _Ginnys_ that were just starting their lives? That were young and in love and experiencing the world on their own for the first time? What about all the people who had their say in how they were going to die ripped from them in an explosive instant?

It was eerily chilling, but the stinging in her leg somehow kept her leg warm. Somehow, until she realized how firmly she was gripping onto it, digging her fingernails into her thigh. Her head felt dizzy and even with all her jumbled thoughts, she fell peacefully asleep, hoping to block out all the terrible things.

First, Tonks believed that she had been laying on cold, stone steps, her face pressed against the floor. Waves of emotion rushed over her: the thought that something was going to happen--whether or not she intervened-- and she had no power to stop it, and the coinsiding guilt when it finally did happen and she couldn't even manage to lift herself up. When she looked up, lifting her drowsy cheek off the ground tosee a man's body go tumbling back through a silk curtain, there was the itch inside of her. If only she had stopped him before he left, or knew well enough to tell him to move away for the hex. She knew what had happened, _what was happening_ right in front of her, and what was going to happen, but had nothing in her power to stop it. The burning in her chest made her feel like her ribcage had been struck by lighting or some other volatile spark.

Tonks woke up confused as to what was going on around her. A bright light was coming from somewhere she couldn't quite find. Something was touching her face. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Oh my god," The voice sounded like it was taunting her. "Is she crying"

"Hrmm?" Tonks tried to sit up. The voice's question was quickly answered when it registered to her that her face was flusflustered, hot, and puffy with tears. _What was touching her face?_ Tonks swatted at it, but it rocked back to hit her again. She was... sitting on the floor, inside of the closet beside the sofa where she slept. What was touching her was an article of clothing that currenly belonged to an undetermind owner. All of the lights inside the room were suddenly on. "What?"

"Auror... Tonks?" Another voice asked hesitantly. The room was too bright, forcing Tonks to squint.

"Yeah?"

"Are you... _okay?"_

"Yeah, why?" That wasn't quite true. Tonks yawned and regained her composure.

"You were having a panic attack." The hesitant voice told her; it was Christine. "You just... got up out of bed and sat in the closet and... you just started crying." This was the slowest, the calmest Tonks had ever heard her speak.

"Huh?"

"You completely bugged out and lost your marbles." Roseanna remarked.

"Thanks. Yeah, I do that a lot." Tonks said dryly, covering her eyes. "Hey, could you possibly... do _anything_ but shine that light right in my face?"

"Here, do you want help up? Oh! _Merlin's beard!_ I'm so sorry!" Christine had tried to help by extending a hand, but subsequently just shined the light from her want more directly into Tonks's face. Tonks fumbled and tried to grab at the doorframe of the closet. It occured to her that the lights in the room were off, that all that was shining was their wands.

"I'm fine." Tonks announced. It didn't feel completely truthful. "I'll be fine in a second."

"Man, that war _really_ fucked you up, didn't it?" Roseanna commented. Tonks pretended to cough in response to avoid having to say anything back.

"Do you mind is I step out for a bit? Go for a walk?"

"Take all the time you need." Christine tried to reassure, patting Tonks on the arm and helping to walk her to the door.

Dwight looked like death warmed over. Tonks guessed she looked no better.

"I s'pose I ought to let ya in." His voice was dry and tired, and whether or not he was being sarcastic seemed unclear.

 _"I feel like I'm falling apart."_ She had tried to keep her composure at the door, but now the tears began flooding her eyes again and she could tell her face was turning pink. "I-I-"

"Slow down," He urged. "Do you want to sit down." It wasn't an offer.

Tonks collapsed on the side of the bed. Upon further inspection (ie blankly collapsing onto her side), the sheets smelled something like vomit or stale cologne or bad firewhiskey. She couldn't decide which as she stared with glassy eyes towards the ceiling. "I don't know what to do." She whispered.

"Abou' what? Those dreams yabtold me about?"

"About any of this."

Neither of them said anything.

"You know," Dwight cleared his throat. "If ya decided to volunteer-"

"No. I won't. _I won't."_ She insisted. The idea forced tears out faster and she could feel the bed sink in as he sat beside her, trying to stroke her hair in a comforting way, but like Christine, his helpful gestures came across simply as awkward.

"I'm going to." Dwight confessed. "S'pose I've got nothin' to lose."

"But you _do!_ Can't you see that?" Tonks sat up and crossed her arms. "You have a _life._ A _soul,_ a _purpose,_ I dunno, maybe I'm being _sentimental,_ but you really do have a lot to be grateful for!" The more she talked, the more it felt like her words were just coming out as jelly.

"Shh, it's okay. I know." He sighed, staring down at the floor. "Ya know, I get nightmares too. Pre' bad sometimes."

"Is it that obvious?" Tonks croaked.

"It's not like it's somethin' ya ought to be ashamed of. Ya just got to learn to deal with them."

"Uh, yeah, no."

Dwight chuckled. "Ta each 'is own."

Tonks didn't want to say anything and Dwight didn't seem to want to pry.

"If ya wanna talk-"

"Not right now."

Dwight still refused to push at her, either out of curiosity or that he himself was on the verge of falling asleep

"You know, sometimes I worry Remus gets them, or that he's got some screw loose after the war, but that he's too afraid to open up to me to tell me how he really feels about things because he doesn't want me to think that he hasn't got it together." She finally admitted.

"He'll tell ya what 'e thinks when he's ready." Dwight consoled. "Loo', I hate ta be _that_ _guy,_ bu' ya got no idea what time it is, do ya?"

"No." Tonks's voice sounded sleepy.

"Alrigh'." He nodded. "If ya wanna crash here fer tonigh', I don' have a problem, just-" She was already fighting to keep her eyes open, and he had to push her into the bed and away from him before she fell asleep mid-sentence, trying to cling onto him. Dwight didn't particular like that, but he didn't protest letting her snuggle up to a pillow on the other edge of the bed, so long as it kept her from exhuberantly sobbing in the closet again.


	83. Postmortem

Elena was grumpy. Her baby teeth were breaking in and they were causing her a tremendous amount of jaw pain. She wasn't fussing or whimpering, but her forehead creased with concern as she gnawed on a bright green teething toy, her eyes glancing back and forth distractedly. The sun was beginning to go down now and the sky was turning a brilliant shade of orange as the sun began to sink below the trees and houses. Remus stood up and wandered to the edge of the porch, thinking about how he might be able to enjoy it more were it not for the lingering stench of death that permeated the house. Thankfully, Andromeda assured, the rotten odour wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it was, given his sensitivity to noticing death.

Remus rubbed his eyes. "What do you see, Lena, hmm?" She cooed back at him, gurgling in baby talk before letting out a whine. "I know, your teeth hurt, don't they?" He rubbed his thumb over her chin. "Hey, think of it this way. Now you'll only have one mouth of teeth left to grow. _Oh goodness, I know,_ it _does_ hurt." Elena broke out in a cry.

"Lena," Teddy said softly. He looked up from the drawing he was making to see her. "I's okay, Lena. You don't have to cry."

"Come here, do you want to hold her for me?" His father offered, sitting down on the bench beside him. Teddy shot up eagarly, discarding his drawing and reached for the baby. "Remember, _be gentle._ Hold her head, there you go, make sure you don't drop her."

"I will." Teddy smiled, carefully rocking the baby like he had seen his parents do. "Lena, why are you crying?"

"Her teeth hurt, Teddy." Remus explained for the lord-knows-how-many-th time. Teddy was about to point out that she _had_ no teeth, again, but his father cut him off. "They have to break in, that's all."

"So she can eat big people food?" The little boy asked.

"So she can eat big people food, yes." He assured. Remus smiled. Elena probably knew little to no difference when people held her, besides the fact that their faces looked vaguely different. Unlike her brother, she lacked some of the pickiness about who held her and when. So even when her restless big brother tried to snuggle up to her. She didn't seem to mind him that much.

"Lena, Lena, Lena," Teddy sung, gently rocking the baby in her arms.

"What are you making over there, Little Man?" Remus inquired, reaching over and picking up the boy's drawing. It was crudely made, but he couldn't help but feel incredible pride in seeing it. Teddy was rather fond of being a little Picasso and Remus thought of the collection of art he was accumulating from the boy.

"Howard." Teddy boasted, wriggling side to side.

"Oh, yes! I see now!" Remus smiled and put his arm around the boy.

"Remus?" A woman's voice came from inside the house. All of the windows were open, something which Remus had wanted to protest against, and Andromeda's head peeked out of the front door.

"Yes, Ma'am?" He began to stand up.

"No, don't bother, I was just meaning to let you know that dinner was finished, but I was thinking that maybe we all sit outside, yes?" She suggested.

"Thank you, I-" He followed behind his mother-in-law as she made her way to the kitchen. The putrid, dead scent wafted into the house, like a rotting corpse was lingering just beneath the kitchen floors. Or worse, hanging above their heads. With the sudden September heat wave, the animal's body (whatever and wherever it was) had begun to smell, drawing the family outside to the porch. "I greatly appreciate you coming over to help even when you didn't have to."

"Oh, I'm sure I didn't." She replied, pulling out three plates from the cabinets. "And I made sure you have leftovers to take with you back to school."

"I'm not that hungry right now." He quickly told her. "Not that I dislike your cooking or anything. I promise I'll get something in a bit."

Andromeda slid one of the plates back onto the shelf. "No worries, dear. A little smell isn't going to bother me, but I understand that you're more sensitive."

"You're braver than I am." Remus tried to joke. He briefly glanced out to window to assure himself that his son wasn't strangling, dropping, or hanging his sister upside down. "I swear I've checked the outside again and I still couldn't find anything. I think it must be close to the back door, either in the walls or underneath the house, but I couldn't see anything without getting under the house."

Andromeda glanced upwards. "It's probably a rat or a squirrel that must've gotten trapped in the attic."

"I'll be frank with you, I'd really prefer not to go looking around, but it bothers me that I didn't see anything up there. It's strange... I suppose I'm afraid of finding the cat or something." He confessed, shaking his head. "I know it's not exactly possible, I'm just not exactly a fan of finding dead animals."

"I'd say that's fairly rational." Andromeda shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll see if I can find it tonight. Or I'll find someone to take care of it for us." Again, Remus anxiously looked over his shoulder towards the children.

"And you're sure you don't want me to take him?"

"Of course. He'll be fine with me." He honestly wasn't quite so sure they'd be _better off._ But he felt guilty. Yet again, there was the antagonizing feeling that the people around him were trying to take away the kids. Not literally, but that they knew what was best for them and were trying to send a message.

Then came the spiral of other bad thoughts, and he hated them in their repetitive nature. If the thoughts were going to bother him and stir up an irrational anger or disappointment without any sort of productivity, then why did he think them? Why did he sit there and torture himself? There wasn't a feesible balance where he could work and see his children on a reasonable basis while the obligation irritatingly grew to each. Part of him was envious, and always had been, of his wife, that she could go out and work a normal job that she was qualified for and enjoyed it. She was still so young and vibrant, and he was giving her next to nothing with a teaching job the school required to have and felt obligated to give him. As much as he loved his students, he felt like there had to be more for him. But it was too late for him to start over, wasn't it? There didn't seem to be new starts for old men like him.

"Daddy!" A small voice called from the porch.

"Hang on, _Hang on!"_ Outside, Elena was slipping in her brother's arms, thrashing and groaning un tears. "Give her to me." Remus insisted. She seemed to find her father more comforting, but her dry tears still came.

"She doesn't like me." Teddy frowned.

"Sure she does." Remus looked over the baby.

The little boy pouted. "She's not happy with me."

"She's not happy _at all_ , is she?" He softly bounced her in his arms, but Elena didn't _want_ to be consoled. She _wanted_ to be angry at her teeth and she _wanted_ her father to know about it. "It's not you, Teddy. She likes you plenty, I promise."

"She _really_ does?"

"She _really_ does." He reaffirmed. "She loves you, Teddy. Even if she _is_ just a baby. She loves having you as her helpful big brother."

"Really?" He warily asked.

"Absolutely, Little Man."

"Are we going to Nana's house?"

"Elena is. Not you tonight, Teddy." Remus yawned. He almost wasn't disappointed. Teddy had struggled to go down for a nap and his father was certain he'd sleep through the night, finally. "You get to stay with me. In fact, I've got a surprise for you in the morning. Well, sort of."

"A surprise?" Teddy perked up. Andromeda came outside the front door with two plates of food. "Like what?"

"We're going somewhere."

"Where?"

 _"Somewhere."_

"But where!" Teddy demanded with a smile.

"Mmm, I'm not telling." His father smirked.

"Why?"

"Because."

 _"Whhhyyy?"_

 _"Because..."_ Remus rolled his eyes and chuckled. "When you have to wait for it, it makes the surprise better."

"No it _doesn't."_ Teddy said in a matter-of-fact way, putting his hands on his hips.

"Whatever you say, Teddy Bear."

Andromeda took Elena back to her home and Teddy was brushing his teeth before bed. Remus had been supervising him, but his mind was distracted. Teddy claimed not to smell anything, but the disturbing aroma rot was still pestering in his head. He told his son to just finish getting ready for bed (something he most certainly would not have done if he wasn't preoccupied). Teddy was picking out a book to have his father read while Remus decided to check around the outside once more.

He could hear dry leaves beating down beneath his feet as he hunted through the front yard with a flashlight. A brief, yet disturbing thought began to fester in his mind, but the idea of a suddenly undead feline was less reasonable than he was telling himself. He wasn't going to be able to sleep until he uncovered the source of his discomfort.

Remus swept around the side of the house where it was strongest. He checked the flowerbeds and around the foundation. It seemed closer, but he knew what was on the otherside, on the _inside_ and that there was nothing. He drew his wand from his pocket and pointed it at the wooden wall that stretched from the porch and seperated the outside from the crawl space. "Bombarda." He whispered (which at the time seemed logical, until the wall literally exploded and more than likely was heard by the neighbours, who also could probably guess he was insane at this point). He fumbled around with the light and tucked his wand back away. The stench erupted like an opened grave and Remus stumbled back, covering his nose. Mustering up his curiosity and courage, he carefully treaded forward.

Then he saw it. But instead of horror or shock, he felt more confused.

He swore the rat had to be the size of half his forearm. It's insides where bloated, it's skin peeling and murky hair balding off of it. It had been gnawed on by something, and a large split ran down its stomach, as if it had been dissected and put back together in a hurry, and dried blood still leaked out of its guts. One of irs eyes had been plucked out of its skull, which was still visible in spots, along with the creature's broken jaw. Flies buzzed annoyingly around it, and other various bugs ate at the rodent.

But how did it get there? After disposing of it, though the insects still lingered, he poked around the sides of the foundation. He'd be out there for ages, but it seemed that after repairing the wall, no rat _that_ big could get in. It would've made sense if it starved, but it looked like it had been in a bloody fight. As he stood up, he glanced over his shoulder. Remus could've sworn on his life that when his eyes readjusted, a shady, black person-like figure was watching him from across the street. Silent and still, Remus watched how it disappeared in a smooth, yet somehow jerky motion.

Remus was still shaken that night, not even bothering to not let Teddy sleep in his bed. He didn't mind not being alone. He did mind waking up before the crack of dawn with his toddler to take him to work. What Teddy didn't sleep through while at Hogwarts, he was pleasently fascinated with, and complied to behave, so long as he was given plenty of a distraction. The other teachers were excited to meet the boy, and some of the female students even gawked at him and waved. By the end of the day, the little boy was proud to have met the new people and get the see them practicing magic, even pretending to read and "do homework" like the fourth years by scribbling on a piece of paper. But Remus was still unnerved, even if in the back of his mind, about the festering dead rat.


	84. Three Hours 'Til

Tonks was still shaky at breakfast. She wasn't the only person in the hotel wearing pajamas. Dwight, however, was steady on his feet, chatting around with some of the other aurors from the office as they filed in for breakfast He was carefree, and his smile was taunting to Tonks, who felt far from carefree. She prayed he wouldn't bring up the night before.

"Mornin', Sunshine." He told her, grinning happily and handing her a cup of coffee. She refused to smile, but she didn't refuse the coffee. "You slept pretty soumd las' night. Yer a bit o' a snuggler, ain't ya? Oh ome on, Pinks, _smile,_ will ya?"

"I can't, I feel sick." She replied.

"Yeah?" He hummed, sitting down across from her. "Ya need ta eat somethin'."

She shook her head.

"You're gonna faint." He stared at her, awaiting a reaction she wasn't willing to give. _"Pin-"_

 _"What?"_

There was a pause as he picked up his silverware and Dwight shrugged, began eating his breakfast. "Nothin', I s'pose" He said lightly. "Ya just seem a li'l tense."

"A little?" She spat, her hands hugging the cup of coffee. "Yeah, probably a bit more than a little."

"Yer not gonna _die."_ He said quite sure of himself, though lowering his voice. "Well, ya migh' if ya don't eat anythin', or I dunno, fall head first down a flight o' stairs."

"I could get picked" She replied. _"You_ could. _Any of us_ could."

"She was jus' tryin' get ya riled up is all." Dwight stated, raising his voice in reassurance.

"Yeah, I got it." She squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her forehead shame. "It's not... I'm just-"

"Jus' quit freakin' out, will ya?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll make sure to remember that the next time when I'm having a panic attack."

"Not _tha'_ kinda freakin' out. _This kinda_ freakin' out." He gestured with his hand. "Come on now, think of all the things you've _ever_ had ta do. How can _this_ be the wors' of it? I mean, this ain't even a _normal_ sorta thing, ya know? All the sick people got sick from the sick people. Wha'? Ya get knocked back with a few hexes, break a few bones, go home and go back ta work on Monday."

When she had been temporarily residing with her parents, her mother had gotten her what she had thought was the most _annoying_ books she had ever laid eyes upon. Tonks was convinced she remembered the title and it was something like, _"Talking To Your Kids So They Will Respect You"_ or _"Refined Parenting: The Fine Lines In Discipline"._ It was the kind of book that she knew had been made for two kinds of people: people who had been literally left babies on their doorsteps and people who had found a baby on their doorstep, metaphorically. She hadn't yet decide whose baby that parenting book her mother had purchased for when the audible, yet wordless sigh had sparked her disappointment. It was amusing to remember her mother, telling her how ungrateful she was being in not wanting to use a two-pound novel that she had been _so kind_ to have found at a local drug store. The memory was an amusing distraction from the roar of her other thoughts, but she remembered a very specific passage about how children who were lashing out needed to be held onto. Tonks sort of wished grown people could do that to, but it was probably a weird thing to ask.

She hoped Dwight would ignore how frightened she had been, act like he didn't know how _weak_ she had felt. Or perhaps he'd forget, by chance. Tonks wished her husband was there to put his arms around her and tell her that'd they would get through this and that everything was okay. She was missing him plenty already.

Her forehead crashed into the table and she covered the rest of her face with her arms. "A raffle..." Dwight forced a laugh. "Utter bullshit. Can' believe you bit at tha', ya know? Besides, we haven' even had our practice day-"

Tonks didn't reply verbally, but she cut her eyes across the table at him in frustration. They _had_ a practice day, but it wasn't like either of them went.

"Come on, you actually think they don' have a list tha's all planned out and shit?" He waited for an answer, but she clearly wanted prompting. "Oh, come on! Really? _Really?_ Yer gonna jus' sit ther' an'not say a bloody _word?_ Are ya _really_ that immature?"

"Are _you?"_ She countered bitterly.

They stared at each other.

"Alrigh'." They nodded at each other.

"Do you think they _would_ take volunteers?" Tonks asked.

He casually shrugged his shoulders as if he was answering any other old question. "Maybe. Why?"

"'Cause if I get paired with one of the juniors, I know one of us is either going to get sacrificed to a sun god or or get stabbed in the neck before we even get there." She let out a low sigh.

"I mean, like I said, they gotta have a list, righ'? Why wouldn' we get picked together?"

"Dunno." She glanced around the cafeteria. "You know, it's like the curse is trying to _latch on to something_. Like it's trying to _feed-"_

Dwight shot her a look. "Can we please talk about somethin' else?"

Tonks nodded quickly again. "Oh, yeah, okay I'm sorry. What do you... um..." Dwight didn't respond. he seemed to stare off at nothing, suddenly completely somber. "Tell me something you haven't told me before."

"We've been frien's fer years. Not sure there's much left to talk abou' that' you don't know."

"We don't talk about your family life, but I'm gonna take a guess you don't want to talk about that."

"You should star' gamblin' with tha' kinda luck."

She responded with a nervous laugh. "Oh come on, there's got to be something going on in your life you're willing to talk about."

"Wha'?" Dwight cocked his head, his arms folded over his chest, leaning back against his chair.

"Okay," She looked up at the ceiling. "what's your patronus? I don't know that one and you can't say I do."

He didn't say anything. Instead, he just stared at her.

"Well?"

"I don't 'ave one."

"You _don't?"_ She tried to keep her voice from sounding too surprised. Tonks realized she had crossed a line that she hadn't thought of, and that her question was suddenly a lot more personal. "Oh, I'm sorry I asked, I-"

He shook his head. He didn't exactly seem bothered by her question as much as she was. "I never had one before."

"Have you ever... tried?"

"Sure I have." Dwight shrugged. "I just can't. I dunno."

"Not even a shapeless one?"

"Nope. Now you gotta answer."

"What? My patronus?"

"No shit."

"Oh, um, wolf."

"Wait, really?" He laughed, his eyes widening in a challenging manner as he leaned forward in his seat. "Serious?"

"Uh, yeah." Tonks chuckled nervously, her eyes shifting sideways.

"It's always been like tha'?"

"No, not always. Used to be a rabbit, but that was a good... dunno, four years ago or something?"

He glanced up at the ceiling. "Huh. Your husband did that?" She nodded. "Never heard o' that happenin' before."

"It's rare. Solemates sort of thing, you know? It's sort of like a matching tattoo." The idea actually fascinated her and she was distracted by her imagination and memory again. "Right." She cleared her throat and pushed her seat back, stumbling onto her feet. "I'm going to go. They're gathering in fifteen minutes and I need a shower."

"Hmm!" He grabbed a piece of toast, turning over his shoulder to hand it to her. She quickly turned and took a bite out of it as she began to run off again. His face twisted in a unpleasant manner. "Excuse me, _disgusting,_ take it with ya!"

"Oh, right!" Tonks took the piece of bread from him and stuck it in her mouth. "Later!"

"Yeah, sure," Dwight winced, rubbing his hand over his front.

Tonks finished her breakfast as she made her way down the hall. Approaching her room and it looked like something was sitting outside. A black suitcase and a pillow were sitting outside. "What the hell..." She murmured, picking up her belongings.

"Excuse me?" A voice came up from behind her. Roseanna crossed her arms. "What are you doing?"

"Uh, why is all my stuff in the hallway?"

"What? You think we're just going to let you sleep in there after last night?" Roseanna growled.

"Uh..." There was a long, awkward pause. "...yeah."

"Well, that's just too bad." The junior auror fake pouted. "'Cause we don't _want you_ here."

 _"Seriously?_ You can't do that."

"Uh...yeah." Roseanna laughed. "So you can go, now."

"I- But I-" Tonks had been left in the hallway when the woman went into the room. She yanked at the doorknob, but it was locked. _"Fuck."_

"Hey, Tonks! Leaving already?" A voice called from the hall.

"Potter!" She yelled back, stomping over with her pillow cradled in her arms and her luggage dragging behind her.

"Woah, what's going on?" Harry asked, pressing his glasses up on his nose.

"I got evicted, I guess. Do you have a shower I could use? That'd be great."

"Evicted?"

"You didn't hear about my meltdown last night?" Tonks asked embarassedly.

"What meltdown? What happened?"

"Had a panic attack in the middle of the night." She threw in quickly. "Woke them up and everything."

"We have to go in fifteen minutes, but if you're staying behind, you can crash in my bed if you need." Harry said. "Or just drop off your stuff, I guess."

"I'm about to go too, I just thought maybe I ought to put on some real clothes first."

"That's fine." Harry unlocked the door, letting her in. "Hey, I never had a chance to ask you about Teddy. How's he doing?"

"They're both fine." Tonks dropped her stuff beside the sofa, before digging through her bag for her stuff.

"Well, I was, er, wondering about Teddy..." Tonks had already run into the bathroom and the faucet was running. Harry raised his voice. "Have you all noticed him doing magic yet or..."

She didn't wait for the hot water to turn on. Tonks just left it on cold, shivering as she splashed water onto her face, completely waking up. "Um," She tried to think, but even the cold watewater couldn't clear her mind fog. "No, I guess not. Elena's not old enough yet. I'm not even sure _Teddy's_ old enough."

"Oh, I was just curious." There was a pause. "I'm going to head out, is that okay?"

"Yeah, whatever." Tonks finally had to pry herself out and get dressed.But before she even left, she thought of something to write. She grabbed a pad of writing paper from the hotel desk and scribbled away a letter, before tucking it into her suitcase.

To all those I left behind,

If you're reading this, I'm dead. I'm writing this letter in the event that something happens to me, whether I'm poisoned, stabbed, or cursed, which results in my death.

To start, Remus, what is there to say that I haven't said before? I've said it at least a million times while I was alive, and I'll say it while I'm dead: I love you. I don't want this letter to be too cheesy, but you were the most important man to me (except maybe Dad and Teddy, but they don't really count, do they?) I don't have any deep secrets. I guess I'd want to die and have you know that I meant all the lively things I said to you alive. Don't doubt yourself. Listen, and trust your instincts. You're not always wrong. Be nice to the kids. Show them pictures of me and tell them all kinds of stories. Please stick around with them and be the most loving and compassionate father you can be. And please keep teaching and not just to pay the bills. Find something to do that you and stick to it. You're still so full of life and capable of so many things.

Mum, I'm sorry. I suppose I'm obligated to tell you that you were right when you said something bad would happen to me one day. I hope I made you proud. I love you.

Teddy, you all will barely remember me, if at all. Please don't be angry with me. Everything I did was to make your life better. I only want what's best for you and I love you, my handsome blue haired little man. You've already grown so much, you won't be little forever, huh? I know this might seem terrifying that your Mummy never got to come home, but I love you. Be brave just like your father. Be good. I don't care if either of you even go to Hogwarts, but I'l be proud to see you and your sister be sucessful. I want to know you'll do your best to accomplish things inin life.

Elena, we spent even less time together. I know you won't remember me. I know that I'l be nothing more than an indistinct memory, created from stories and pphotographs. I still love you. From the moment I knew you existed to those first few days when we thought you would die and until the last time I kissed your head, I loved you. I'l never get to see your first steps or hear your first word or see your first birthday or full set of teeth, but what I wouldn't give to see it all. I hope you're kind and gentle like your father.

I guess I'll leave a will here. I don't really care what happens to my stuff, just make it first come, first serve, I guess. Let Teddy have my watch when he gets older. He might not care, I dunno. I like it a lot and I think it would be a good way to remember me by. Let Elena have my/Hope's wedding ring when she gets engaged. Don't let Mum immediately burn all my clothes.

If anyone decides to post any cringeworthy childhood photos of me on those funeral boards or in the newspaper or something, I will find a way to bypass the afterlife and make sure the rest of your life a living hell you can't escape, even in your sleep.

Nymphadora Andromeda "Tonks" Lupin

Naturally, just like every other time something bad happened in her life (it seemed), she was put on the spot where she couldn't say no and three hours later, Tonks found herself marching through the dark with mud up to her waist, carrying Dwight on her arm (who was, by then, bleeding from the head).


	85. Chimera

Remus was still paranoid and on edge. Towards the end of the week, he knew his wife would be home soon, and while he knew the smell from the giant rat was gone, part of him was still frightened to be the lone adult. He wasn't even exactly sure _why_. The shadowy figure from across the street had most certainly been unnerving, but why had it been the _rat?_ He had tried to eat dinner one night and almost thought he couldn't because of how vivid the memory of the stench had been in his mind. It was unconvincing for him to try and blame the upcoming full moon on his worries.

 _Just two days left._ He told himself as he tried to unlock the front door. The locks on their doors had been loose and harder to lock and unlock. During the first war, he had learned that a warning sign of a break in was lock-picked knobs that never quite worked right (a useful skill when everyone has wards up, but they forget to deadbolt their doors). Yet he prayed it was just the old house's way of saying it was time for new door knobs. _Just two days left._

"Daddy, when's Patches coming home?" Teddy asked, leaning against his father's shoulder.

Remus shifted the child on his hip. "I don't know." He answered out of frustration, still trying to get the door open. Something was off immediately. He felt like his wife just trying to survey the house. Remus was so sure that in his own home, he could safely navigate without suspicion. But every now and again, his foot would get caught on the leg of a table or a corner of a chair.

He tried cooking, but he came to find out quickly that everything in all the drawers of the kitchen had been moved, like the contents had been sifted through. Everything seemed to be there, but it was hard to tell with how disorganized the kitchen seemed to be, as if someone was looking for something in the bottoms of all their drawers. He felt like he should just dump everything out and put it back, but he knew that would take too long. Even the cabinets felt different, as if someone had sifted through the bowls.

Remus couldn't take his eyes off Teddy. Why hadn't he let Andromeda take him? What foolish idea stopped him? Mcgonagall's patience was surely going to run out soon, between full moon sick-days and trying to balance out his family life, and then what was he supposed to do? Let the house get completely ransacked? He kept trying to ask himself what made him think this way. He didn't even know. There was just an unnerving sense of panic boiling under his skin. This was becoming a disaster.

"Remus, are you sure you're not just being paranoid?" Andromeda asked, bouncing Elena in her arms. Elena was wide eyed and curious and her face lit up when she saw her father. "Really, this back and forth isn't good for the kids."

"I know how this looks, but I'm not sure we're exactly safe." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. Elena made bubbly noises to get his attention and fixated her eyes at her father. "Elena, what are you doing?" He shifted the pitch of his voice to make her giggle at him. "I feel like we're being watched. _At least._ And I'm worried the kids could be in danger."

"If you seriously think you're being watched, then why not go to the police?"

"Having someone go through your house is serious, but I still feel like I can't necessarily prove it. And I'm not waiting for the proof to come to me." Remus shook his head. "They need to stay with you for a while. Even when Dora comes back. If this keeps up, the kids can't be here. I just... I have a _really bad_ feeling that something's going on. And since it's almost Hall-"

Her eyes cut through him, as if he was standing under a spotlight. "Remus, this is absurd. If this is serious, you know I would stand beside you. But you haven't really got anything for you to stand on here. You need to figure out where to be and where to put the kids. Rearranging your kitchen isn't a valid enough reason to rearagge your children." She sternly told him.

"That's not-" He wasn't going to fight her. Remus was alone and frightened and making things up in his mind. He might as well as admit it. "Right." She raised her eyebrows in an unconvinced manner, and he nodded more enthusiastically. "You're right. I... You know what, it's Friday night. I can stay with them for the weekend, Dora will be home on Sunday, I'll go back toto school on Monday, and we can just pretend that none of this happened."

"Mummy's coming home?" Teddy perked up from his playthings, suddenly interested in word of his mother. His hair shone a pastel pink at the idea of her, his eyes subconsciously becoming her shade of dark brown.

"In a couple days, Teddy Bear." Remus assured him. Elena was getting stronger; she was standing up on her father's lap, almost completely on her own without help.

"Bah bah." She smiled, trying to jump up.

Her father shook his head proudly. "Be careful or you'll fall, Lena." Remus chuckled as he brought her into a tight embrace. "Da-da?"

She just laughed at him, scrunching her nose up the way she had seen her parents.

Teddy got up from his toys, curious as to why his sister was getting all the attention and love, tumbling a run over to the grown ups before trying to jump up into the chair with his father.

"I get hugs too!" Teddy exclaimed, his face buried in his father's arm.

A hint of a smile crept onto Andromeda's face, but it was shoved back down by her own pit of uneasiness in her stomach. Perhaps he was just suspicious about being alone with the kids. Perhaps he was just nervous at the idea of having that sole responsibility. Andromeda felt sorry for him, that maybe this was his final screw into delusion coming undone. First Dora with her nervous breakdowns, now Remus with his paranoia. Personally, it was uplifting to see him empathetic, caring, and protective of the kids, something Andromeda had always feared he would lack to bond with them, but too much of a good thing was going to take its toll.

xxxxx

" 'ave you ever seen her this angry?" Dwight tried to say lightly, leaning away from Elroy. He was nearly the only one there smiling as if he was trying to lighten the mood, though it was hard to see in the low light.

Elroy looked uncomfortable and was trailing behind the others. Tonks stumbled on something, but she was too driven to stop. Her ankles already felt stiff from rolling them on just about everything she hurried past in the cavern. All three of the aurors were covered in sweat and dust from the hot air trapped around them. Every breath felt like they were trapped and suffocating. Dwight had been the only one of the three left to talk since they had entered the cavern, except for when Tonks was knocking into the walls, careless of where she stepped with her eyes too fixated on the simple ink map they were handed. When they entered, there had been five. Christine and an auror or cursebreaker (Tonks couldn't remember which) had been apart of the party until they broke off, Christine suffering from lightheadedness and the beginnings of seizures, while Dickerson walked back with her to make sure nothing happened. So far, thorns the size of fingers, small pools of water with glowing venomous fish, various curses and hexes that slipped them up (literally), and walls changing directions seemed

The light from his wand struck off the floor. _"Hey, Pinks watch it-"_

A patch of moisture on the ceiling indicated to a puddle of mud on the floor. One foot out in front of the other, there was a sudden slap on the ground and Tonks was already lying on it. She didn't have time to react or even swear; instead, she just let herself slip and fall, silent as she lifted herself up.

"There, yer wand," Dwight frowned. He pointed at the ground where her wand was lying.

"Oh thanks, Dwight." She mumbled, picking her now filthy wand from the mud and holding it up to her shirt to wipe it off.

"Yeah, and it's all on yer ass." He remarked, looking her up and down. "Yer already covered in it now, so it's obviously not gonna hurt ya-"

"Uh-" Elroy began to say something, but stopped himself.

"What's wrong?" Tonks asked, looking up.

"What? I'm good." Elroy shook his head. "Are you really sure you were okay with me tagging behind you?"

"What? Like yer gonna turn around or somethin'?" Dwight remarked. "Yer here ta meditate."

"Mediate." Tonks corrected.

"Mediate, yeah!"

"I mean, sure, I'm here to keep you from murdering each other or... whatever." The other auror cleared his throat.

"Oh, garbage," She stopped and tossed her head backwards.

"What?" Elroy asked.

"It looks like a tight fit." She announced, trying to squeeze herself through a gap in the walls unsuccessfully. "Wait, hang on, step back," Tonks pulled herself out and drew her wand. "Bombarda Maxima!"

A loud crack emitted from the tip of her wand and sparks flew out crashing against the walls.

"Oh sh-" Dwight flew backwards with Elroy on his arm, debris flying towards him.

The cloud of dust cleared and there they were, was standing right in front of a solid wall.

"Are you _fucking serious?"_ Tonks bluntly asked.

"You've really got a pottymouth today, huh?"

"Dwight, I swear to Merlin's ass, if you could _focus_ for half a second, we could achieve something here."

"Yeah, okay." Dwight glanced around. "So, uh, when are we supposed to start hallucinatin' 'n' shite?"

Tonks's hand clasped against her forehead. A splitting migraine was tearing through her head and face. Elroy had been clutching his sides in an awkward manner, uncomfortable with nausea though he didn't want to bring it up. The three stood and exchanged glances.

"Did... did that just happen?" Elroy asked.

"Yeah." Tonks huffed.

"Maybe we should turn around and try another way?" Elroy suggested.

"Yeah. _Turn around."_ She sighed. _"Absolute rubbish..."_

And so their long walk of silence continued on, with interjections of,

"No, _this way-"_

"We already went that way didn't we?"

"Why don't you listen to me and try to actually follow the map? See, I have it written down right _there._ We went that way already."

"Yer confused."

"Hey, how about you actually try and listen to me for once and trust me?"

"Watch the wall."

"Elroy, I've got it."

"No, not you-"

There was a slipping noise. This time, Dwight went falling into the mud.

 _"Bloody fuckin' Trippin' Curse!"_ Was all he shouted on his way down to the floor.

"Dwight-" Tonks threw her arms out instinctively to try and grab him before he hit the ground, but it caused him to only stumble further. "Are you okay? Dwight-"

Blood began gush from his temple, his hand clutched over it. He was sort of in an awkward half-sitting position, trying to pull his leg up to a kneeling position.

"Dwight, look at me." Tonks demanded, drawing out her wand. "Move your hand, you're sliced right open."

" 'm fine, 'm fine-" He murmured, holding on tightly his head.

Elroy winced and took out his own wand. "Merlin's beard, let me have a look, Tonks. Really, move over, can you please?"

"Pinks, ya can step back. My brains ain't gonna fall out." Dwight said, clearing his throat to try and keep back his pain.

"No, I've got it, I can fix you. Just let me-" She shuffled back despite her protest, and Elroy butted in to try and patch up the other auror best he could, but even the temporary bandages, blood seeped out down the side of his face.

"Don't stand up too quickly." Tonks pleaded, putting her arms around him. "Hold onto me, okay?"

"Yer too soft, Tonks." He grumbled in a hoarse voice, laying the clean side of his head on her shoulder. "Fer someone who'll take such a beatin', ya sure are soft."

"Thanks." Her voice came out as just more than a whisper.

"Hey, you might want to come look at this!" Elroy's voice was distant.

The other two aurors looked up at each other, Tonks pulling him along despite the slippery floor.

Elroy was wielding his wand in an offensive stance. By the time the other two rounded, he was shaking visibly in his arm.

"It's a er," Dwight nodded. "Sphinx. Yeah."

A large, golden cat-like creature was curled up, blocking their path, not much larger than a normal lion. A purr came from its very human face as it snored, drowsily sleep with her heavy tail thumping at the floor and wall of the cave. She was a rather pretty woman, or she would be if not for her giant claws and gaping fanged mouth.

"Back up. Just back up." Tonks insisted, trying to pull them away.

"We could try to go around-"

There was a shaky _boom._ All three fell flat onto the floor, hanging on tightly to one another, Elroy coming down in a sprawled out position on top of the other two.

Her voice was smooth, uttering something they could not understand. _"And who, may I ask,"_ Her soft, though eerie voice inquired. _"has crept into my clutches? You are not a native fellow, but from afar, are you not?"_ She let out a sort of chirp.

"Y-yes." Elroy stammered. "We're British wizards-and well, a witch-but we're here because of the uh, curse."

The sphinx cackled. _"What are you going to do?"_

The three scrambled to try and get to their feet. "Could we jus' maybe... pass?" Dwight shook his head in defeat, Tonks and Elroy simultaneously reached out their arms to slap him. Dwight squeezed his eyes shut and sighed. "An' I'm stupid fer tryin' tha'?"

 _"Just shut up."_ Tonks growled.

 _"I am hurt!"_ Dwight snapped back.

 _"I'll let you pass."_ The woman's voice cooed, her head tilting down towards the floor. In an uncomfortable manner, her eyes flickered with heavy eyelids towards the trio. _"But you have to pass my test. Or you can turn around without another word."_ Her long eyes cut up at them, tail flicking at the floor as she paced the walkway. _"And if you fail_ Her head cocked sideways. _"You won't have much left to tell those in the outside."_

"Are you creating the curse?" Tonks's voice cracked. "Are you the reason the villages are falling apart and everyone's getting sick?"

"Tonks-"

"Are you even _real?"_ She asked, stumbling forward.

The sphinx chuckled, turning on her heels to pace the opposite direction of the walkway. _"Are you going to hear my question?"_

No one said anything.

 _"To bear and to bring, is the first word you seek out, a word you'll find slowly carries about. To draw, without the admiration is the word's first sound, or to drink without the dimness is the word ahead of you, above this ancient burial ground. To end is where you live, with the Earth below and the sky and sun overhead. Heed my final warning, and know the light ahead is a fiery path to a white tunnel, your final resting place to be ceramic bed. A sickness I caused is a sickness you seek, and I have created the odour of death you have smelt like boiling gold, and let my final question be your ultimate toll: what am I?"_

The words came at the three so quickly they struggled to understand. Tonks quickly tried to scribble down what she could onto the back of the map with a piece of chalk.

"Maybe we just... walk away? Maybe we don't die here?" Elroy suggested, shifting his weight uncomfortably, trying to ignore the patiently waiting feline in the walkway, grooming her paws. "I mean, maybe we just turn around."

"Elroy, she has the answers. She knows the way and she knows what's causing all those people to suffer." Tonks explained. "We can't stop here. This is obviously a clue to move forward."

Dwight had his head in his hands, solemn in quiet, and in great amount of pain. "I wouldn' mind turnin' back."

"Dwight, we can't-"

"Sure we can." He firmly told her. "Have 'em send someone else, I don' care, but I wanna go back. I'm tired o' this an' none o' us know the damn riddle!"

Tonks stared at her notes. Words scribbled across the page, some marked out, none making a lot of sense. "I... okay, you're going to think I'm crazy, but I think I've got it."

"Yer not crazy, yer stupid, let's jus' go home now. Tha's all I want. Really, yer being an idiot an' I need a healer. _Let's go."_

"Dwight, we are _so_ _close_ to figuring this out."She pleaded. "Will you at least let me try?"

"An' what? Get us all _mauled?_ Yer _bloody_ _insane_ if ya think I'd let ya do tha'!" He barked back at her.

 _"And what?_ Let _more_ people get _sick,_ and _hurt,_ and _die?_ Are _you_ insane?"

"Maybe! Considering how quickly I'm losin' blood!"

"Can you two stop, please!" Elroy insisted. "Really!"

"Well, who do you side with?" Dwight demanded, getting into the man's face.

Elroy shrunk back, despite having the physical advantage over his partner. "Honest to Merlin, neither of you! I think you've both flown off your broom handle and we need to think before we do something rash-"

"We _have_ to do something!" Tonks glanced between the two. "Elroy, I know we haven't known each other that long or very well and I'm not trying to garuntee anything after this will work and well, but we have to _try._ Even if that's all we can do."

"What if you're wrong?" He asked.

Tonks went briefly quiet. "I don't know. But I'm not sure we can risk it."


	86. Fire and Brimstone

**AN: Sorry to break this into two parts. I didn't want something that was either 1500 words or 5000. Thanks for being patient with me through work and travel.**

"What if you're wrong?"

Tonks went briefly silent. "I don't know. But I'm not sure we can risk it." Her eyes glanced over at the sphinx. "If I fail, do the others have to suffer too?"

 _"Were that so, you would all have your own question."_ She hissed back.

Tonks swallowed hard. "If I fail, will you at least let them try?" The sphinx did not respond. "Dragon? That was the riddle, right? 'Drag' and 'on'? 'Drag' as in, you know, carrying and-"

The sphinx silently stepped aside and the three aurors inched forward with incredible care, and she let them past.

"Oh great, and now we can' get back." Dwight huffed, glancing over his shoulder at the now dormant sphinx.

"Yeah! Even if we _live!"_ Elroy exclaimed. "Are you _insane?_ What kind of bloody moron doesn't turn around at the mention of a bloody _dragon!_ _At a bloody_ _sphinx nonetheless!"_

"Apparently nobody told ya that we're probably the stupidest people the Ministry's ever called aurors, so tha's on you,buddy, fer not doin' yer research." Dwight replied, nonchalantly, wrapping his arm around Tonks's shoulder.

She chuckled, laying her head next to his. Elroy went silent.

"Are you two, um..."

"Are we what?" Tonks asked.

"Well since you're going to get us killed in here anyways, what's the _story_ with you two?" He demanded. "You seem-"

"Close?" Tonks interjected. "Yeah, I suppose. We've known each other for about three and a half years now. I saw him naked once. Just from the back, but it was the _whole_ back."

"Now hang on just a damn second-"

"It was yesterday. You were hungover and confused, so I pretended to be asleep."

"Oh. Right. See, I was 'boutta say that I met your kids and yer husband an' all the mushy stuff, but I feel like those two things ain't tha same."

Elroy was suddenly very quiet for a while. "Dragons aren't even native to Egypt."

"Yeah, I know, right?" Tonks said thoughtfully. "I have this one friend who's all into dragons, and I haven't heard of any coming from Egypt. Or any native to this part of Africa."

"There are snakes." Dwight remarked dryly.

"What? You don't like snakes, you bigot?" She teased.

"I do actually, I jus-" The walls around the shook with the force of an earthquake. "I jus' don' like the giant ones that be breathin' fire 'n' shit."

"Oh wait, you don't think we'll be finding a basilisk, do you? Or some fire-breathing demon?" Tonks sighed, shaking her head. She was trying to sound as casual as she could, as if this was as bothersome as running late or shirking clothes in the wash, but real fear was beginning to sink in.

"I-"

The walls rattled again, and a large block of hard bricks stone came falling, and Elroy grabbed both of them by the shirts, pulling them back. Light broke in through the hole in the wall, and suddenly the room shifted from cave to tunnel. Large pits of fire illuminated the way. The three were pinned up against the wall, blocked by a long, golden tail, covered in shimmering scales and hard, cartilage spikes that had knocked through the wall.

"Snake." Dwight exclaimed, holding onto ths makeshift bandage on his head. "Big fuckin' snake."

"Shut up..." Tonks whispered. Her breathes were long, heavy heaves. The tail slithered back out, dragging rubble along with it.

"Dragon." Elroy was the first to step foot, wand drawn, poking his head around the corner. "Dragon, not snake." He reported.

Tonks tried to jump forward, unceremoniously landing on a twisted ankle, and laying practically across the pile of brick. Dwight sheepishly followed with more grace but with nothing less than an awkward waddle.

A creature was cowered down and the gold scales on its back arched and shimmered under the light. A dark purple slash cut through the a patch of pale, wrinkled skin where the scales were missing on its back. It had dark eyes that were barely visible and a long snout with fangs that stuck out from its mouth. Puffs of steam exhaled from its slit nostrils, a growl coming from its chest. A hood of veined yellow skin fell around the sides of its face. Its body was long and very similar to a snake, with the exception of its heavy back claws and wings that were so large, they folded under it to avoid knocking into the walls with such a giant wingspan.

"Is that it then?" She whispered.

 _"It?_ Oh I'm sorry, were you expecting a _parade?"_ Elroy growled.

"I-" She stammered and watched the creature turn its body around to face them. It had the slick movements, but was hindered by the gash between its shoulderblades. "You know what I'm really good at? Fighting people, not dragons."

Dwight shot up with a sudden burst of energy and grabbed ahold of his wand, starting forward towards the dragon. "I don' think we're gonna get much rationalizin' outta this guy!" The dragon did not like the shouting. It let out an angry hiss, flapping its wings at him. "We don't wan' any trouble!"

 _"Hell, Dwight,"_ Tonks followed in suit with hers drawn. "We're here because of the curse! Dwight, do dragons _-can dragons_ cast curses?"

"I don' bloody know!"

"Hey, how about you two stop trying to pick fights for a few minutes, that'd be great!"Elroy chimed in. The three were now running in a circular motion opposite the dragon to keep from being swept off the ground by its swinging tail.

"Focus on the damn dragon please!" Tonks growled. "Protego Maxima!" The dragon's spiked tail dodged their heads by a few feet, causing blue ripples on the shimmery shield.

"Coul' ya a maybe send for some help?" Dwight asked desperately, wrapping his hand around her arm to get her attention.

"I-" She shook her head in confusion. Sparks flying from their wands made echoing in cracks off the rock walls that were rattling because of the dragon's massive size.

 _"Can you send for help please?"_ He annunciated.

"Help! Yes!" She shouted and bobbed her head quickly. _"Expecto Patronum!"_ An almost disfigured blur of a four legged animal bounded as quickly as it could towards the entrance. "I don't know if they'll be able to find us!"

 _"What?"_ His eyes suddenly became wide, still shouting above the noise.

The dragon let out a massive roar, flames engulfing the air. Elroy threw himself down onto the ground behind a rock.

 _"This place is a maze!"_ Tonks yelled. "Look out!" The dragon was reared up into the air, its wings pounding to keep it above them. Fire exhaled from its mouth and a giant wave of heat came flying at the three, now huddled behind a stone.

"My question is, how did that thing get in here?" Elroy demanded. The flames died back and he jumped onto his feet, firing curses at the dragon. The other two huddled down with their fingers in their ears as the beast let out a roar.

"Maybe it hatched in 'ere?" Dwight suggested.

"What's it eating? Stray people?" Tonks asked. The ground shook with the force of the dragon landing. "It's got to be our culprit!"

"O' the curse or, whate'er it is?"

"It's the only dead end I'm seeing!"

"That doesn't make sense!" Elroy exclaimed. "Move! Get out of the way!"

The three dove in opposite directions and a foot came breaking through the rock. Dwight's arms wrapped around Elroy, wresting him back from the animal's claws that were tearing through the dirt. Tonks rummaged around for her wand and the dragon inched closer to her, its eyes glaring down at her, smoke and steam flowing out of its nostrils.

"Tonks!" Dwight shoved Elroy out of the way, drawing his wand. His arm was shaking as he pointed his wand at the dragon. _"Icarcerous!"_ Fine wires and cables flung at the dragon. It leap upwards into the air, grasping at air with its front claws, wings flapping frantically, its feet tangling together. It growled and flames sprouted out of its mouth again. Elroy ran over and dragged Tonks to the safe area behind the rubble and the dragon began to collapse in a panic.

"Tonks-" Elroy sighed. Her hands were shaking and hovering over her head. She was paralyzed with fear and pain, tears rolling down her face. "Let me see it." A dark burn sat on the side of her face right beside her hairline where a clump of her hair was singed.

Dwight jumped up onto the rubble to face the dragon. "Stupify!" The dragon groaned in pain, but the spell wasn't enough. Dwight stumbled over rock firing other curses and jinxes at the creature, forcing it to thrash around and give pained cries.

The dragon's tail swept around, knocking into his head. He let out a scream as he fell back down onto the ground beside the other, clutching his own face in a similar manner as Tonks, though in a more aggressive and panicked way. He hunched over on all fours in tears. Blood streaked down both sides of his face.

 _"Bloody- Fuck... My eye!"_

Tonks could feel herself say something, but she had no clue what it was. Her ears were ringing. "He-"

She wished she could fall asleep. She prayed her body could just tense up and collapse onto the floor and wake up in a comfortable bed somewhere. Every second was agonizing and drawn out in slow motion. It was centuries, it seemed, before anyone came to help them.

She watched as they were carried out in tears. She watched as special aurors came to further restrain the angry creature. She watched as they were escorted outside into the hot, blinding sun and dry air and to the hospital. She watched as they were separated by walls and thinly veiled plastic curtains and treated by healers who didn't speak their language and stared at them with glossy eyes and mouths covered by bubblehead charms. Tonks fought to fall asleep in the bed, but she couldn't. An air bubble rested on her sore, bruised face, and her body felt like it was sinking through the bed itself, but sleep didn't come.

Remus was standing in the hallway of St. Mungo's that was dingy and short, and hidden away from the light of the sun. His back was growing stiff from standing for so long. He wasn't alone though. A woman with a beige skirt and silk blouse occupied the other side of the doorway and across from him was a woman in a lavender jumper who was talking to a teenage boy she was beside. There were a couple other witches and wizards lined up like they were going to visit a family member in prison. A male healer walked over, waving his wand over the doorknob. Before opening it, he turned to the family members. "Hello everyone. I assume we all know why we're here today. I'll be taking your name and who you're here to see. Today, we're only allowing direct family members and visits of under thirty minutes-"

"Only half an hour?" The woman with the teenage boy asked.

"Several of our patients are still heavy in the recovering process." The healer explained. "Some of them are still bedridden."

The sick feeling churned in Remus's stomach again. The woman with her son were the first to walk through the doorway. Remus tried to glance past them into the room and he saw a row of chairs facing another, separated by a wall of glass. "June Elroy and Michael Elroy Jr." She told the healer.

He nodded and let her head inside. "Next!"

He stepped forward. "Remus Lupin? I'm here for my wife, Dora." He held up his hand to Remus.

"Hang on, if you'd just step aside for me, Mr. Lupin, I need to have a talk with you... Next!

"Mary Anne Dwight." The woman in the beige skirt said.

"Ma'am, I'll need you to step aside as well." The healer said.

"Excuse me?"

"I'll need you to wait. You're Sparrow's wife, yes?"

"Yes, and I-"

"I need you to wait so we can brief you and Mr. Lupin."

She looked disgusted, but complied with the healer and stepped aside with Remus. There was a Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, a Mrs. Dickerson, and a Mr. and Mrs. Dunbrack. It was strange for Remus to see parents, as well as spouses of aurors. He caught another glimpse inside the room and saw a row of pleased, but bruised aurors on the otherside of the glass. But his wife wasn't there.

The healer shut the door and turned to Remus and Mrs. Dwight. Remus thought he might throw up. Were they going to tell him in this desolate hallway that their loved ones weren't coming home?

"I'd like to talk to both of you separately." The healer declared. "Mrs. Dwight, if you'd like to go first?"

Remus hung back beside the door. At one point, he looked inside the door to see families talking happily and crying joyful tears with their fingers pressed against the glass. It felt like forever before he could hear Mrs. Dwight's shoes come walking back down the hallway, past him, and towards the elevator.

"Mr. Lupin?" The healer said.

"Yes? That's me." Remus smiled, shaking the healer's hand.

"Okay, let's see here about Nymphadora." The healer flipped through the files and pulled up a stack of papers. "Okay, so Nymphadora's currently stable. She is here in the hospital and she's improving."

"Is she sick?" He asked. "I heard about a sickness and I wasn't sure about the details-"

"She's not sick." The healer shook his head. "She's going to recover, which is wonderful."

The was a short pause. "What's the 'but'?"

"The but is that she's going to have some burn scars on her face, head, and neck." Remus stared at the man is fear, questions circling his mind. "Thankfully, we know we can regrow the hair she's lost on her scalp and her eyebrow once she heals. The scarring extends across across her left temple, under her eye, on her cheek towards her mouth, and on and around her ear." He used his quill to gesture on his face where the burns were.

"How um," Remus didn't know exactly what to ask. "How much pain is she in? How disfigured is she?"

"She's comfortable. She... she's asleep. We may have sedated her a bit too much, we weren't sure if it would be enough, but we found out she's fairly susceptible to the medicine. But she's not hurting." The healer explained. "I can't say for sure. We're treating her best we can, but we think there will definitely be some scars left."

"How will this affect her ability to morph?"

"I couldn't say. This isn't something we have a lot of knowledge on right now. We'll have to wait for her to heal and then see where we can go from there."

"Well, is there a specialist we could talk to? Is she going to need surgery? How much is all of this going to cost us?"

The healer didn't say anything at first. "I doubt surgery will be necessary, just medicine to prevent or cure any infections. Again, I simply don't know what to do about her skin. I assume the cells won't lose the innate ability to morph, but I'd make a guess that they won't morph the same way they had before. I don't think it will be a clean and smooth morph back to normal skin. We can try scar creams and I'm sure there are potions that could help her heal, but I don't think she'll ever be exactly the same as she was. What is your healthcare plan like? I'm assuming since she's an auror, most basic treatments will be covered. Other than that, I'd have to sit down and figure out how much you'll have to pay out of pocket."

Remus nodded silently.

"Are you alright, sir?"

"Yes, I'll be fine." He let out a deep sigh. "When can I see her? When can she come home?"

"Give her a couple days to heal up for a visit. There's a manditory quarantine for all the aurors, but as soon as she's cleared, she can leave. Then she can go home."

"And then she can come home." He affirmed.


	87. A Breath of Fresh Air

Tonks's forehead was pressed up against the cold pane of glass, her hands folded in her lap. Dwight, on the other hand, was holding a different posture, and a different opinion on their situation.

"I'm sorry, but it's like we're _animals_ or somethin' on display!" Dwight shouted, not understanding the capability to hear through the glass. He was sporting a gauzy bandage over his eye, which matched the one on the side of Tonks's face. They both seemed to be healing well from their scratches and cuts, but her burns were not as great.

"You know that the two of you are still capable of getting sick." Kingsley Shacklebolt explained, sitting in the chair across from them on the other side of the glass.

"Well ya don't 'ave ta _gawk_ at us!" He defended. His mood, Tonks assumed, was due to withdrawal. Sure, he was a fiery little man at times, but genuine anger that was enough to shout at the minister felt like more than usual. She caught him trying to catch any kind of buzz off of the pain medicines they were given by acting as if he was in more pain as soon as the two of them weren't alone.

Tonks rolled her neck and dragging her forehead across the glass made an awful noise. Her natural, mousy brown hair had to have been cut, leaving pale exposed skin around the bandage.

"Well I can't come in, can I, Agent Dwight?" Kingsley sounded annoyed. "I assure you, I'm not gawking at you. I came to see how the two of you are recovering. Tonks? Nymphadora? Are you awake?"

"Hmm?" She didn't lift her head up from the glass. "Yeah." The air was so dry her voice had become coarse.

"How are you sleeping? Are you getting enough rest?" She shrugged. "Nymphadora?"

 _"She doesn't feel good."_ Dwight bellowed. "Half 'er face caught on fire an' she had ta shave 'alf her head off! We're gonna be scarred for the rest o' our lives, and you think we're just gonna sleep well and feel good?"

Tonks sighed. "Dwight, just stop-"

"No! Not 'til they do somethin' to repay us! I dunno, we could have _better healthcare!_ Not exactly a fan o' havin' chunks of my pay check goin' ta pay the hospital when I can't even get a new eye because o' the money it'll cost! My old one shruveled up like a _raisin!_ We'll take anythin' at this point fer all the mutilatin' o' our bodies!"

"Dwight, for crying out loud, I have a headache. Do you think you could stop yelling? Please?" She snapped defensively at him. He bothered to drop his voice for her, but his anger spilled out just the same.

"We're o'er here, just bloody _trauma victims_ sitting like ducks fer the Ministry to either ship us off ta some hole in the ground ta sleep in, or we get sent ta big ol' dinners where ya act like we're all _okay_ an' _happy_ , when believe you me, it's painful fer a lot o' us ta get up otta bed in the mornin'!"

"Agent Dwight, I know this is a huge concern of yours, and the wellness of my aurors is a big priority of mine. However, there simply isn't enough knowledge, funding, or energy to create some sort of program like you're suggesting to take care of all of you." Kingsley explained as gently as he could. "I've always made it clear that I expect you all to take on the responsibility of taking care of yourselves, not just for your sake, but for the sake of the people you're helping."

Dwight went quiet all of a sudden. His jaw hung open, but words didn't spill out out of not fear, but intimidation.

"I have a lot of pride in your accomplishments." The Minister continued. "Frankly, I'm... amazed, to say the least, that the two of you made such a breakthrough these past few weeks and suddenly, I'm digging up files related to eighteenth century on dragons nesting near civilizations and causing illness when their hoarding gets taken." His voice sounded skeptical. "Really, the things I've seen the two of you accomplish over the last few months is admirable, and I'm not sure that's something that can be taught to you in training. But perhaps we could have the two of you could-"

"What was it you said in the cave?" Tonks cut him off. "We're the dumbest aurors they've ever seen?"

"The stupidest aurors the Ministry's ever seen, yeah." Dwight confirmed. "Bunch o' nobodies diggin' up the truth by starting catastrophes."

Kingsley chuckled. "You're certainly...determined."

"Willin' to die fer the cause." Dwight mumbled quietly.

"How much longer do we have? In here?" Tonks asked, keeping Kingsley from responding.

"They said so long as you're not running a fever or coughing by tomorrow morning you get to go home." Kingsley told her. He stood up and left his seat behind, resting his hands on the back of the chair. "You two can take some time off from work while we clean stuff up in Egypt. There's still a mess to clean up, but that's not your concern. I won't say how long you can have, just try and get to feeling better."

"We'll try." Dwight said sarcastically.

"Dwight, can you just appreciate this for a moment?" Tonks turned her head to him. "You can't be grateful for how generous they're being?"

"Oh sureHe scoffed.

"I'll see you around, Shacklebolt." Tonks said, sitting up in her chair. She waved as he walked out the door and he returned the gesture. Dwight didn't move.

"You have a visitor, Agent Dwight." Was the last thing he said before his disappeared.

A woman crept inside the door, shutting it behind her. "Sparrow?" The woman slinked across the room, sitting down in Kingsley's chair. Tonks was sitting up despite her diziness, but she felt fixed in place. Dwight slid his chair closer to the glass and the woman did the same. A switch seemed to have been flipped as his anger completely dissipated.

This time, Dwight was the one who was vulnerable, resting his head against the glass. Their hands were resting on opposite sides. "Hey." He mumbled. Tonks panicked, realizing how intrusive she was being, and got to her feet. She wanted to listen in on the conversation so she dragged her feet to move her chair back in place. Her headache seemed to appreciate the gesture.

"Hi." She replied. "How are you doing? How's your eye?"

He shrugged, giving her a lopsided smile. "Can't see much, but c'mon now, I'm tough, you know tha'."

"Of course I do." Tonks heard her chuckle. Her voice was elegant as if she was a singer. "Seems like forever since I've been able to see you. Absolute bastards around here."

"Don' think too much on it. I'm-" He paused, shaking his head. "I'm okay."

"What about that eyepatch? Is it coming off soon?" The question was innocent enough, but it sounded sort of stupid to Tonks.

"I, uh- Dunno." He stated simply. She didn't seem to be picking up on the severity of the situation. Tonks was a bit taken aback after listening to their voices. They were soft and giggly like lovers. What had Dwight told her then? She abandoned him for four years to use him and showed up, presumably only to _further_ use him? Had she repented all of her sins? Was he actually trying to get better? Was his fit of rage not detoxing, but true anger at the messed up hospital system? Or was this perhaps not his wife?

Tonks heard them continue to talk as she slipped out the door and back into her adjacent room, burying herself back in her bed. There was a throbbing, sharp pain in her face that kept her from doing anything useful like reading a book or one of the letters Teddy had written her. But the soft bed was less welcoming. The bandage was uncomfortable on top of the scabs and her bare exposed skin was cold on the pillow she had her arms wrapped around. All she could think of was the blank wall sitting across from her.

xxxxx

"Teddy, I think I can see your parents coming up to the door." Mrs. Weasley told the boy who was busy colouring at the kitchen table. It was already dark outside the Burrow and she was shocked the boy wasn't in bed yet. She had just gotten up to get a glance out the window at a light outside when he followed. Teddy quickly scrambled to his feet and went over to her, grabbing ahold of her skirt.

"I wanna see!" He smiled.

Mr. Weasley, who was seated at the end of the table, looked up from the daily paper and chuckled, exchanging the look with his wife. "Well, they're only right out there. Why don't you just talk to them?" He told Teddy.

There was a knock on the door. Mrs. Weasley pulled the door barely open and she exchanged words with the person on the other side of the door.

"Daddy!" Teddy squealed, jumping up and down in front of his father. He scrunched up his face is in a bright smile.

"Hang on, Teddy, I need a second," Remus set his wife's suitcase on the floor. "Okay! How are you?"

"Good!" The boy exclaimed. "Where's Mummy?"

"She's outside waiting." Remus let out a sigh of relief. Things were... normal. As much chaos as he had expected from almost a month of having his wife in the hospital had yet to catch up with him, and he could only worry so much about bills for now. "I need to talk to you first."

"About what?"

"Okay, Teddy," Remus smiled, kneeling down in front of him. "Remember, Mum might not be feeling great, but she's going to be okay." The boy nodded. "I don't know if she still has a bandage on her head, but if she doesn't, don't touch her face, you hear? She's not sick, she's just hurt."

"Why is she hurt?" The boy asked curiously.

"She fought a dragon, remember? Can you believe that?" Remus smiled.

The boy's eyes went wide. "She really did it?"

"Yes, really, and I'm sure she can tell you all about it. Just... please be careful with her. If she says she can't pick you up, you have to listen, do you understand?"

Teddy seemed to be putting something together in his mind. "She's not bringing another baby home, is she?" The three adults laughed, but the boy didn't get the joke. "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing." Remus smiled, smoothing out the boy's hair. "Okay. Just... please be gentle with your mum, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy."

He opened the door back up and let Tonks inside. Mrs. Weasley, now sitting next to Mr. Weasley, looked up from her current knitting project and Mr. Weasley, from his paper. "Hello, Tonks." She smiled. "Feeling any better?"

"Much." Tonks simply stated in reply. Her face lit up at her son. "Teddy! Oh my goodness, how _are_ you?" He seemed shocked, even a bit taken aback by her appearance. Even if she was hiding her new minor disfigurement behind a bandage, he was shocked to see how she had apparently decided to style her hair. "What's wrong, hon?"

He didn't exactly know what to say to her, but he cowered away from her, wringing his hands. "Daddy said you were hurting."

"Not anymore, really. I'm feeling a lot better." She shook her head. "Come here, can I have a hug?"

He nodded quietly and went to giver her a hug.

"I'm not going to break." His mother assured, squeezing him tightly before planting a kiss on his head. "Come here, how are you?"

"Good." He replied simply. "Daddy said you fought a real dragon."

"I did!" She smiled wearily. "I got a little beat up, but I'm okay."

Remus pushed past her. "Sorry for coming here so late." He called back to Molly.

"Oh, it's not a problem." She said gently. "We love to see the kids. They're both so good."

Elena was asleep on her stomach, her arms and legs outstretched in both directions. She was lying on a blanket on top of the couch and was drooling all over it. "I'm sorry if this one's been a little bit fussy lately."

"Her teeth are coming in already?" Tonks asked excitedly.

"Just breaking through the skin." Remus had the ten month old resting against his chest and he wrapped her up in the blanket. Teddy happily grabbed ahold of his mother's fingers and swung her arm back and forth. "Are you two ready to go?"

"You got everything, Little Man?"

Teddy looked around it thought. "My pi'ture!" He exclaimed, running back to the table to grab his drawing.

"Say thank you and give them hugs." His mother reminded him.

"Thank you, Gra'ma Wheezy." Teddy said, hugging Mrs. Weasley. His mother hid her smile behind her hand. "Thank you, Grandpa Wheezy."

"Tell your parents they can drop you off anytime." Mr. Weasley told him. "You should come back and see us soon."

"Okie dokie!" He said, bouncing back to his mother and taking her hand. "I'm ready."

The family went back home and their nightly routine began, but with Tonks working at a slower pace. She didn't bother unpacking her clothes and they didn't force Teddy to take a bath since he was putting up such a fight. Elena was crying for her mother to hold her and now, Teddy was too wound up to lay down long enough to close his eyes. Finally, Tonks gave up and retreated to their bedroom, passing off both the children to her husband and wishing him luck.

Remus returned, out of breath, and quietly shut the door behind him. He let out a sigh. The two looked at each other wordlessly, slowly sinking into each other's arms.

"I misses you." She told him, muffled by his shirt. "I'm sorry I didn't read your letter."

"I understand." He replied simply, kissing the top of her head. His hand instinctively went to brush her hair out of her face, but he was left hovering over he head, afraid to hurt her.

"Don't-" His hand drew further away, but she pulled him in around her arm in a more aggressive manner. "Don't be afraid of me. I want you here."

Tonks closed her eyes peacefully. A warm set of lips pressed against her own, arms gently pressing her back against the bedroom wall, hands grabbing ahold of her arms. She let out a gasp when she could manage, words coming to mind of things to say, swimming together in fragmented thoughts. "Teddy... and Elena are...?"

"The kids are already asleep." Remus assured her, hugging her body close to his.

"Good." She gave a breathless nod, only further reaching at him.

"I missed you too." He muttered.

Tonks smiled and pulled him in for another kiss. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel his lips upturning. "I appreciate it." She remarked in an insinuating manner, swaying a bit on her feet.

"Are you alright? With this?" He asked gently.

"Yeah." Tonks nodded. "I was just... I didn't- do you think I-"

His hand brushed down from her middle towards her hip. "Nothing's wrong with you, Dora. You look fine." Remus said lightly. "Here," He carefully unbuttoned her pants. His cold fingers grazed over her waist, and up her stomach. She shuddered and her back straightened as he planted kisses down her neck and onto her shoulder. His nose nuzzled against the nape of her neck.

"I got an owl from Sparrow." Remus blurted out. "He said that you-"

"I what?" Tonks's voice sounded a bit frightened, as if she had just gotten into trouble. "And what did he have to say?"

"Said he was worried about you. Said you were a bit... sporadic on the trip. Crying fits and all."

"Mmm." Tonks nodded. Remus smiled and left a kiss on her shoulder before she turned to face him. "He was worried about me was all. You know, just trying to get back into the swing of things... I don't think now's really the time to discuss it-"

He smoothed out her hair. "He just told me to check in with you when you got back."

"Yeah, alright." Tonks rolled her eyes and prompted her husband to continue touching on her.

"And I wasn't sure if I ought to mention that the hospital sent-"

"Did they send the bill already?" She cut him off.

"No, it's a ah, prescription."

"A prescription? For what?"

"To help you seep, I presume. Or for the depression." They both paused silently. That wasn't a word often thrown around for or by either of them and it caused a brief shock in both of them to hear it. "I suppose we ought to call it what it is."

"I suppose." She simply replied, trying to pull him back in to kiss her.

He nodded his head vaguely towards the bed. "Maybe we should-"

"Yeah, that- yeah, that'd work best-" She let him lead her towards the bed. He sat down on the edge of the mattress, wobbling in a startled way when his wife nearly collapsed on top of him. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" Embarrassed from her fall, she let out a snort of a giggle as she crawled onto his lap, which made him laugh. Her eyes squinted together and for a brief second, Remus could see how exhausted she really was. "I'm so sorry!"

He laughed along, only drawing her closer to him. Left to themselves, the two groped and kissed each other, slowly peeling away layers of clothes as they went until there wasn't really much left.

"Mummy?" A small voice chirped.

In a split second, the couple fell into the bed and away from each other. "Shit-" Each grabbed ahold of the blanket and draped it over themselves. "Teddy! Sweetheart, what are you doing in here?"

"Daddy said I had to go to sleep, but I _can't._ " He smiled happily, hugging his stuffed elephant in his arms. Suddenly, he had puzzled expression on his face. "What are you doing?"

"Bed. We're going to bed." Remus said quickly.

"Teddy, really, what are you doing up? You're supposed to be in bed." His mother said in a low voice, her heart still pounding in her ribcage. She exchanged glances with her husband, who was fumbling to find their clothes.

"But you've been gone..." He whined, confused as to why his mother wasn't exactly excited to see him.

"I know, Sweetheart. Oh Merlin, have I missed you so much." Tonks shook her head sympathetically. "But it's bedtime, and-"

"But it's not fair!" He looked over at Remus and stomped his foot. "It's not fair."

"I know... Sweetheart. But if we don't go to bed, we can't do fun stuff tomorrow, can we?" Tonks explained, putting on her clothes again.

"No." Teddy frowned. "Where are your pajamas?"

"Well, I was-I was putting them on." Tonks explained.

"You were kissing Daddy." He giggled, scrunching up his nose in disgust.

"Yeah?" Tonks posed in an interested voice, as if she was waiting to hear the end of a story. She went into the little boy's room, laying him down on the bed. "I'm sorry. Tomorrow we can talk and you can tell me everything you did this week."

"Why?"

"Well I'm sure you have a lot to tell me-"

"But I'm not tired!"

She sighed and rubbed her face in frustration, less out of being interrupted and more that now she'd have to put a stubborn three year old back to bed. The realization of how drained she truely was washed over her. "It's almost midnight, Teddy. Really, you've got to be tired. It's _way_ past your bedtime. _My bedtime,_ see, I'm tired. I just got home..."

He looked widely disappointed. "Okay, Mummy."

"We'll talk tomorrow." Tonks smiled weakly and kissed the top of his head, tucking him in. "Goodnight, Teddy Bear. I love you so much."

"I love you, Mummy." He smiled as he buried his face in the pillow.

Tonks padded her way back to the bedroom with heavy feet.

"Any luck?" Remus asked, sitting up on his arms from his side of the bed.

"A surprising amount, actually." Tonks said dryly, carrying herself over to the bed, only to collapse into the sheets face-first. "Let's hope it lasts." Her voice was half-mumbled.

"Are you okay?"

"Tired."

"Is now a good time to bring up the lett-"

"No."

"Right." Remus cleared his throat. "I um, I hate to mention it but were we-"

"Hmmm?" His wife groaned, turning her face over.

"Were we, er... in the... middle of something?"

"Huh?" Tonks lifted her head as she shook it awake. "Can I raincheck tonight?" She tried to joke, but she could only feel was the sudden wave of utter exhaustion. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so ti-" she yawned. "-red all of a sudden."

Remus smiled and planted a kiss on his wife's head before turning out the light. "Goodnight, Dora." He buried under the blanket which he pulled over her, rubbing circles on her back.

"'Good night, love-" And she was out.


	88. Internal Conflict

Remus was in charge of feeding the cat when he was home, but habitually, his wife went to fill up the cat dish like she always forgot not to do, which had been resulting in a very happy feline. So she was going to pour cat food into the bowl that sat on their bathroom counter, away from the reach of any babies. Half asleep, she realized she had just dumped cat food all over the counter and floor and that there was no bowl.

Blinking her eyes open, she realized her mistake and began picking up the mess. But Patches was no where to be seen. Usually, he came running at the sound of food and would have loved to pick up the floor. "Hey, hon?" She called. "Where's the cat?"

"What?" He yelled back, pulling himself out of the closet.

"Patches! Where is he?"

"He, um," Remus stuck his head inside the bathroom to see his wife picking up cat food. He was currently struggling to tie his tie. Something was bothering him, and it wasn't the cat. "Come here just a second."

"What's wrong, love?" She asked gently, following him. He sat down on the bed and she stood in front of him, fixing his tie. He stopped her busy hands and held onto them. "What's going on that you're not telling me?"

He didn't immediately reply, his hand covering his mouth. "We need to talk about something and I want you to listen to me before you start hurling accusations or something. I think... there's a possibility that we could be... that we're being watched."

Her eyes widened in panic. "Wait, what? By who?"

"I don't know. The house wasn't ransacked or anything, so please don't panic." Remus added in quivkly, squeezing her hands. "I keep trying to tell myself, maybe I just don't remember the drawers being arranged like that or that the doorknobs are old and not working or that the cat went missing or that, I dunno, some animal just got trapped under the porch, but-"

"Stop. Slow down, I don't understand." Tonks shook her head.

"While you were gone, it was like there was some sort of strange occurrence every day." He explained. "One day there was this-this rodent trapped under the back of the porch. The whole house smelled like it, I swear."

"And?" She prompted.

"It was like it had been dissected or something. It had this long cut down it's stomach and all it's guts and things..."

"Okay... well, let's think. It could have been attacked by something big. I don't know. What does that mean, exactly?" She had wedged her hands away from him and was tightening his tie, smoothing out his collar.

"I don't know." He frowned. "I'm sorry, I know how this sounds, but I promise I'm serious. I-"

"It's okay, it's okay. I understand your paranoia, but I don't know what to do about it. Just tell me everything." Tonks urged him, combing her fingers through his hair.

"There's been someone outside, at night. I don't know who they are, but I've seen them across the street, watching me. Someone's trying to keep an eye on us." He informed her. "It's just like at Grimmauld."

Tonks had to sit in her thoughts. Was he being serious? Was he making it all up? "Wait, and what about the cat? What happened to the cat?"

He paused again. "Patches was killed right after you left. He got out through an open window and was hit by a car. I found out when that uh, the woman next door. Sloan, I think? The wife. She said she was the one who, uh, cleaned him up."

"Oh my god." Her hands swiftly clasped over her mouth. She joined him hunched over on the bed, her eyes staring down at the floor. He put his arm around her, his other arm, holding onto her head. She didn't believe she had tears to cry, which proved true as she sat and stared off at noting, waiting to cry.

"I don't know. So much happened as soon as you left, I feel like something suspicious is going on. Honestly? I'm concerned, stalker or not." He said, letting her hide her face.

"It sounds insane." She reminded him in a slow, but worried voice. "I... look, you don't have much of an arguement here, do you? Logically, there's... not really any evidence. Look, if I'm being frank with you, that's is concerning, stalker or not." She shot him a knowing look.

He shook his head. "Just forget it. I know you think I'm crazy, so let's drop it."

"No." Tonks's voice wavered. "I don't think you're crazy. I'm concerned about you. Maybe you need some tablets, help you relax and not be on edge so much. And you also need to let my press your shirts, because apparently someone's not going to get that done either."

"You need to rest." Remus gently reminded her, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Just... tell me if anything weird happens, alright?"

"I will." She reaffirmed, though beginning to question herself.

Teddy had slept in that morning and so Tonks gave him a little bit longer to rest. She'd finally have the whole house to herself after Remus left for work, which was enjoyable, but confusing since she didn't know what to do. She certainly didn't want to do housework, which until recently, had been kept in top shape. So Tonks just sat on the sofa with her coffee, trying to enjoy the silence. However much she wanted it, though, the silence didn't last long. Teddy was up and ready for breakfast and Elena soon followed.

"Is it good?" Tonks cooed, helping Elena with her spoonful of yoghurt. Elena's chubby cheeks proudly displayed her budding teeth as she giggled, slobslobber and yoghurt falling down her chin. Her mother shook her head. "You're a silly little thing, huh?"

"Can I help?" Teddy asked in a lonesome tone, sitting up in his chair.

"Of course, darling." Tonks picked him up, setting him in her lap. "Here, now be gentle when you offer it to her, okay?"

Teddy helped scoop up food for his sister. "Here you go, Lena." He said cheerfully, which she accepted that time, and he proudly smiled at his mother. "I did it!" He announced.

"You did!" Tonks hugged her arms around him. "You know, you're a rather helpful big brother, you know that?"

"T'ank you!" He said.

"Elena, can you say 'Te-ddy'?" Tonks prompted, letting the baby wrap her hand around her thumb. "'Te-ddy.'"

"Tay... Tay!" Elena replied, laughing as though it was the funniest thing she had heard in a while.

"You can do it! Te-ddy."

"Tay-yay!"

"No, silly!" Tonks laughed. "Can you say Mum-my?"

"Mmmm..." Elena gurgled.

"Mum-my?"

"Mm-ma."

Tonks gasped and looked over at Teddy. "Mum-my?"

"Mmma!" Elena exclaimed as she tried go grasp at her mother. "Mmma!"

"You're getting there." Her mother beamed. "See, she's going to say her first word."

"Mummy, what was my firs' word?" Teddy asked her, almost enviously.

"You said 'Dada' first." She replied. "What, did you think I forgot?" Tonks teased, tickling his sides. "Don't worry, Teddy. I remember all your firsts, too."

The family was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door. Tonks carefully approached, her toddler propped up on her hip. A blonde woman with horn-rimmed glasses was on the other side, smiling. In broad daylight, she had on a set of mauve robes on, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"Hello? Can I help you?" Tonks tried to smile, instinctively clutching her son to her chest.

"Excuse me, are you Mrs. Lupin?" The woman grinned.

"Yes, that would be me." Tonks glanced around worriedly. "Can I help you with something?"

"You must know who I am, don't you? Rita Skeeter, former journalist for the Daily Prophet and current owner and writer of Clairvoyant Weekly Chronicles. How are you today?" The woman quickly held her hand out to Tonks. "May I come in? I'd like to get an interview before your award ceremony next week."

"Oh, I'm fine. Yes, I've seen it around at the store..." Tonks tried not to roll her eyes. "I-I have to feed my kids. Can you come back... um... some other time?"

"I don't mind doing the interview with them." Rita smiled.

"Well, I... I have other errands and things, I... I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things."

"Really, it won't take up too much of your time." The reported smiled, already inviting herself inside, baking a beeline to the kitchen, her eyes furiously scanning around the walls and appliances.

"Okay, then..." Tonks sighed. She loosened her grip on Teddy, who was now curiously watching the reporter. "Okay Teddy, I'm going to finish up feeding Elena, if you'd like to go play for a bit." She told him, setting him in the floor.

"But I wanna help." He whined.

"Teddy, go on now." She urged. The boy obeyed, scampering away to his room. A sinking feeling in her stomach told her this was already a terrible idea and she was in a hard corner.

"Mrs. Lupin, is it now?" Rita asked, pulling out a pad of paper to write on.

"Well, that's what all my legal documents say now. But I think it's 'Officer' as well." Tonks tried to joke, but her defenses were beginning to come up.

"My apologies." Rita said dryly. "How long have you been married to our brand new Hogwarts professor, eh? When did these little ones come around?"

"Five years, as of last July." She said bluntly. "Teddy's almost four, this one's almost one."

"And what's her name?" Rita seemed geninue in trying to play with Elena, but the baby slinked back fearfully.

"Elena." Tonks scooped up the baby, soothing her.

"Family name?"

"No."

"We're you two trying?"

"Excuse me?"

"Were the two of you planning for a family?"

"Uh, sorry, what does this have to do with the awards ceremony?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd introduce you by giving some of your background, your family and all. Is that alright?"

"Uh, sure? If you want some of my background... um, for starters, I'm a Hufflepuff, and I trained under Mad-e-"

"Oh, dear, no one cares about all that." Rita sighed. "Tell me more about these two cuties."

She was astonished and becoming a bit irritated. "Um... See, Teddy can morph, Lena can't. Both well behaved. Teddy's even been showing possibilities of accidental magic. Are you trying to dig up something on my husband?"

"Is there something wrong with your daughter that prevents morphing? Or are there any health problems otherwise due to yourhusband's species?"

"No." Tonks wasn't really lying. "She's not a werewolf if that's what you're asking. She's premature, so she's a little bit behind." Rita was writing notes furiously. "Don't you have that, er, quill you always carry?" She had to stop herself from calling it stupid.

"The Quick Quotes Quill? No, it was custom made and I had it detained under a search warrant. But I'll be getting it back soon." Rita said swiftly. "Anyways, are the two of you planning for a third?"

"No." Tonks said firmly. "And if we were, that wouldn't be any of your busi-"

"Is it because of his inhuman status?"

"No." She shot back defensively. "Can you please just ask me about work or something else? Anything else?"

"If you let me ask one last thing, did you marry your husband, aware of his inhuman st-"

"Yes! I knew, and I was perfectly content with marrying him under that knowledge."

"I was just curious, given the timeline of when the two of you eloped." The reporter pried. "It must have been hard, during the war. The two of you must really have fought to be together."

Tonks went quiet, but the scratching of the quill continued. "Yeah. It was at first." She paused, rocking the baby. "It still is sometimes, but we're still very happy. Things are... pretty great, actually."

"What happened to your head?"

"I was burned while I was in Egypt."

"Is it going to heal?"

"Sure." Tonks nodded.

"Do you know what you'll be wearing to the dinner?" Rita inquired.

"Not yet."

"Will you be taking your husband?"

"I'm not sure yet." Tonks faltered. "Not that I wouldn't, mind you, or that I'd take someone else, I'm just not sure if he'll have to stay over at school or if he'll want to stay home with the kids. He misses them a lot." Her fingers curled and her jaw clenched out of frustration. There she was, opening herself up to the known liar that called herself a journalist.

"I see." Rita said. "He's gone a lot, isn't he?"

"He's a _teacher_. He... _teaches_ , everday. He's busy, but we're not terribly troubled by it, honestly. Like I said, he just doesn't really get to see them as much as he'd like. He's here most weekends." Elena let out a cry, her mother rocking her gently. "Hang on, I've got your breakfast here."

"How is he handling work, juggling his illness and you, as his family?"

"Is this interview about him?" Tonks shuffled the baby in her arms, continuing to spoonfeed her. _"Believe me,_ I don't mind, I'm... confused. You just sort of, you know, _walked in_ _my kitchen._ When are you going to ask about the speech I have to give? Or something important, like how I ended up fighting a _dragon?_ How my partner ended up half blind, or how-" She sucked in a deep breath. Elena "I'm sorry. There's talk among the auror department, especially since we got how about more accessibility to things like... psychiatrists, and all that. We're all riled up because we have little insurance. We're left to our defenses when dealing with the problems we bring home with us, and all the media cares about is what we're going to wear and how our kids are doing."

"We do care about you." Rita sighed softly. "I'm glad to hear your input on this."

Regret boiled up like anger in Tonks's chest. The interview was over. Elena chirped in frustration and grabbed at her mother's arm until she could get more breakfast.


	89. Clairvoyant Weekly

Remus's feet swung back and forth against the side of bed. The previous night had been fairly good, and he was glad that for once, his joints didn't lock together or his muscles didn't strain when he stretched them out. Tonks was at home, asleep in bed with Teddy probably taking up his father's pillow in his place. They probably didn't know he was back yet.

They got to visit the night before, before Remus was carted off to seclusion when the sun went down. The mediwitches gushed over how much Elena had grown. In this part of the ward where only the werewolves went, not many babies were seen, and for good reason. One healer even offered to show Teddy how all the different equipment and trinkets worked. Teddy was so excited by the time he got home, he simply refused to go to bed in his own bed, and Elena, who had simply enjoyed being passed around and admired, was utterly exhausted and went to sleep without any work from her mother.

"Hello." A weak voice said, clearing his throat nervously. Remus looked around. He didn't remember there being another patients in the room last night, but chances were, the nurses were doubling up patients in rooms to save space for the wounded. The man was limping in on a crutch and the support of a mediwitch, wearing similar pajamas to Remus's own.

"Just have a seat there." She smiled, helping the man into bed.

"Hello." Remus grinned. "Nice to meet you, I'm Remus."

The man looked around the room distantly. "Are you... new to... all this?" He looked frail and sick, and much younger than his tired eyes made him seem. It sort of reminded Remus of himself, or at least how he had looked at one time. He was scrawny, blonde and freckled, and he looked sad.

"Oh, I dunno, I started back about... maybe close to a year ago? I'm not sure. I started the new treatment around ten or eleven months?"

"Oh, so you just... started the treatment process a year ago." The man nodded.

"What about it?"

The man went quiet. "I dunno." He paused. "Have you been bitten recently? I'm sorry, I promise, I won't talk about this if you don't want to. I'm not trying to bother you, and I still don't exactly understand the whole etiquette."

"Oh no, you're perfectly fine. No, I was bitten when I was a child. A little older than my little boy, so er... let me think, five or six I believe." Remus watched him curiously. "What about you?"

"I, um," He stared down at his lap. "This is only my er, my third full moon."

"Oh." Remus stopped awkwardly. "I'm so sorry. You must still be in that-dunno what to call it-the first few months off medicine. You aren't on anything?"

"I am. I wasn't on anything before, so I don't have anything to get rid of." He shrugged. "Does it ever get any better?" Was all the man asked from the bed across from Remus.

Remus thought for a moment on what the best answer was. "I think... it gets better if you're motivated to make it so."

"So the medicine isn't just sugar water, right?" The man asked in a low voice, trying not to smile as the mediwitch fumbled around with his sheets.

"By the taste of it, I'd hope that's the last thing it is." Remus laughed.

The man paused. "I didn't know you-er... I'll be honest, I didn't know we-people like us-could have kids. You said you had a son, didn't you?"

"A son and a daughter, yes." Remus smiled.

The man momentarily looked frightened. "Wait, are they... are they sick? Wouldn't they get sick? I'm sorry, I don't know how all this works."

"Teddy and Dora-my wife-are perfectly fine. It didn't-it doesn't pass to 0eople like that. My daughter Lena is um," Remus shook his head earnestly. "Lena's a bit troubled, but she doesn't transform or have any characteristics."

"Troubled?"

"She's... ill, sort of." He knew he needed to explain himself, but he felt bad in a way that all he had was discouraging. "There was one time she got this tiny cut on her arm and we thought it wasn't ever going to stop bleeding." He confessed carefully. "But she was a bit of surprise too, when she came two months early. So she was sicker than her brother was when he was a baby, but we never exactly... we um, the cause wasn't exactly something we can pinpoint."

The younger man nodded. "Does your wife usually join you on... nights like this?" He reclined in his bed, clutching the cast around his leg. Remus knew that must have been where he had been bitten.

"No." Remus shook his head again. "Dora's usually at home."

He remembered the night before when he had angrily refused to be dragged out of the room while he was with his wife, and refusing to leave to take his medicine until he knew she had calmed down from her procedure and the mess of tears she had been the night before. The healer took off her bandages and administered her last dose of scar ointment. At least she no longer looked like some sort of balding corpse with her hair sticking out all over, as she had so sourly remarked, but there still remained a patchy red mark on the side of her face and head, and a long brown strand of hair that refused to budge no matter how hard she tried.

 _"You know you can't morph when you're stressed." Remus had said in a soothing voice, rubbing her shoulders. She sniffled Just relax and stop thinking about it."_

"She must be rather supportive, right?"

"You have no idea." Remus said nervously.

"Mr. Walters, you're not giving Mr. Lupin too much trouble are you?"

"Trying not to." Walters half-smiled.

"It's always unfortunate to see a new face here, but I think it's better to find like-minded people to sympathize with." She said weakly. The mediwitch cleared her throat. "Mr. Lupin, if you're still feeling well, I can send you on your way with some mild painkillers."

"Of course. That'll be fine."

"I suppose I'll be seeing around then. Or not, I'm not sure."

"I'm sure I will. My wife works at the Ministry, maybe you've seen her around or-" Remus stopped. The man had an eerily nervous look on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, sure, yeah." Walters said nervously. "I don't work... here. I..." He lifted his head, looking around the room, his mouth hanging awkwardly open. "I'm not-"

"Mr. Walters, it's fine." The mediwitch softly told him. "You don't have to get into all of that."

"I'm... well I'm not... magic." Walters said quietly.

"Oh." Remus gave him a sad grin. "Nothing wrong with that, honestly."

"Sir?"

The man sharply inhaled, rocking forward, gripping at his leg. "Mm, no," He groaned. "Sorry, the bite, it keeps stinging, I don't know-"

"Just try and lay back," The mediwitch sighed. "I'll go get the dittany."

Questions circled Remus's mind as he got apperated home. Who bit Mr. Walters? Was there a Greyback copycat coming forward? Why a muggle? Was there a freak accident where someone got bit? Why did the Ministry have less control over this situation? How was he handling, learning that he wasn't only no longer human, but that magic existed? Was he getting memory charms? Was he ever going to see him again?

Remus considered his new friend on his way home. Mrs. Sloan was outside, trying to salvage her summer garden. She waved and tried to start a conversation, but Remus hurried off, afraid to explain why he was walking and why he was in only his pajamas with his coat and shoes on. On the front porch, he noticed his wife had forgotten to pick up yesterday's mail.

"Daddy?" A small voice whispered. Teddy was sitting in the living room floor, still in his pajamas, playing with Howard.

"Teddy?" Remus whispered back. "Why are we whispering?"

"Mummy's still in bed." He replied. "But I'm not supposed to be up yet."

"Uh huh," Remus nodded. "Okay. I'm going to go check on her. Had your sister been crying?"

The little boy shook his head. "She was earlier, and Mummy got up, but then she went back down." He watched his father curiously. "Is she dead?"

"No, she's not dead."

As expected, Tonks was a residing lump under the duvet. Elena was temporarily staying in her parents' room because of her late night crying. "Dora?" Remus said softly. She let out a tired groan. "Our son is worried that you died and I was sent to investigate."

Tonks made a noise but no audible words.

"Did you sleep at all last night?" Another noise. Remus walked over and sat in the side of the bed, carefully peeling the covers away from her face. Her hair was long er r than usual and all a depressed shade of brown. A plus side of the new hair growth was how sleek and smooth it was. The downside was the nearly uncontrollable growth that the people at the hospital had warned her about. Now she had a cluster of hair she would have to trim every morning until the oil washed out. The other downside was how she had to make the rest of her hair shoulder length, an uncomfortable length for her.

"Please put the blanket back." She pleaded, covering her face. "I've got this bloody migraine."

"You've been straining yourself." He sighed, gently rubbing her head. "You have to stop trying to morph right now."

"I'm fine." Tonks told him.

"Do you want to take something?" He offered, tucking her in with a blanket. She nodded. "Well how about this. I've got a pain potion from the hospital that I don't need. You eat something, even if it's a bowl of cereal, and I'll give it to you." Tonks agreed.

Teddy got to learn how to make handmade pancakes. He wasn't very good, so his father had to do most of the work, but he was proud to have helped. Elena wasn't quite ready for drinking regular milk and was beginning to throw a fit over being hungry, so Tonks laid in bed and gave her a bottle, even though her head was throbbing.

"I don't know if you saw, but I got the mail." Remus told her. The family of four was trying to eat in bed, but Tonks was finding it difficult to appease a spoiled baby and try and eat at the same time. Elena was hanging in her arms, reclined and staring at the ceiling, completely uninterested in the rest of her family. Teddy was trying to talk to her, but it appeared to be fruitless. "Heard you were in the paper."

Tonks shook her head. The painkillers were already doing their job well. "Not the paper, _'Clairvoyant Weekly Chronicles'._ " She corrected, fishing out her complimentary copy of the magazine. "Don't know who would fund that witch. Let's see here... ooh, _'exclusive_ interview with _renowned_ auror, Nymphadora Lupin as she _readjusts_ to civilian life after her _valiant_ _excursions_ with dragons in Egypt'." Tonks snorted, flipping through the magazine. The glossy violet colour on the front was strange in quality, Rita Skeeter's face on the front winking and waving to the reader, her blonde curls bobbing when she turned her head.

 _"On Tuesday, I was lucky enough to snag a very exclusive interview with an auror from our very own Ministry of Magic, Nymphadora Lupin, very contrary to popular belief. Up until now, she had been utterly refusing to talk to any and all particular reporters, though she was polite enough to invite me into her home after much convincing. Mrs. Lupin really agreed to talk to me over breakfast with her two children, Elena (almost one) and Teddy (almost four), while her husband of five years, Professor Remus J. Lupin was off at work. Most notably, she was sporting a new wound from her adventures to Egypt, alledgedly a burn from the dragon she claimed to actually have-for all intents and purposes-fought. I actually was surprised to see how she, as a mother and officer of the law, was able to get away with brightly coloured pink hair._ _As I kind of sat with the auror in her quaint kitchen, I literally realized that her choice in decor kind of was quite bland and washed out. The house essentially looked as if it hadn't been cleaned, especially the floor, having not been swept. This in particular bothered me because of how she had two small children so close to it, which felt fairly significant. Mrs. Lupin was very off-putting. She seemed sidetracked and distracted, perhaps with the intent of derailing my interview. At times, she simply refused to discuss the matters of Egypt, or the dragon, or the curse at all. Stammering through, I found myself rereading my notes only to find contradictory sentences and phrases that seemed to counter one another. In one account, she went as far as to claim as many as five people had been on the scene inside that fateful cave._ _According to information realeased from the Ministry, dragons are known for being extremely protective and territorial creatures. It is not uncommon for dragons that do not live in nurseries to become threatening towards humans when it comes to owning and exchanging land. While the investigation is still pending, there have been confirmed reports of a 'flu-like illness' affecting many residents of the nearby village. Never before has our Ministry experienced an uncontrollable amount of losses in such a short period of time [see page 38 for more information and obituaries]. Instead of issuing an evacuation, Egypt's magical government and its aiding allies agreed to continue to investigate the area. Even after an entire small town was completely charred to bones and rubble, our very own Ministry refused to step down._ _I soon realized Mrs. Lupin's distress, though she seemed unable to vocalize her thoughts. I decided to change the subject to her family. Her face lit up at the mention and we began discussing how blessed she felt to have been given two wonderful children, not yet determined to complete her swarm just yet. Mrs. Lupin discussed how her son was already exhibiting signs of metamorphosis and accidental magic, while her daughter was more of a radical, a sickly, thin child, almost too sick to eat from the health complications caused by her father's pre existing condition. Mrs. Lupin also detailed her struggles as a part-time single parent, due to the nature of her husbandhusband's travels to work and how this created a tension in their marriage._ _ **Something is bothering this woman.** I remember telling myself. The pieces slowly began to fit into place. The poor witch had suffered through the Ministry's pre-war reign, birthed two children to a man with a legally inhuman status, and still had the gall to stand before the Ministry as an auror. With fewer and fewer women within that department's division [see page 43 for more information on **Why Are So Many Women Scared to Work Under Male Ministry Officials?** , Mrs. Lupin is now a very vulnerable minority. She confessed to me how many aurors are on edge, demanding better healthcare, insurance, and mental evaluation. With December just over the horizon, people are beginning to wonder if their department is going to be heard well enough to gain extra funding. Strikes and sit-ins no longer appear to be eons away from our own Ministry as new reforms and progressive ideas are being evaluated to help our struggling aurors like Mrs. Lupin, who's personal lives alone are impacted by the pain and torment brought home by our government."_

While Tonks read it aloud, she stopped frequently to correct whatever Rita had written, or to make commentary in the form of correcting her every time she wrote "Mrs. Lupin" instead of "Officer" or "Auror." There was a loud _thwap_ as the magazine hit the wall. Elena jumped, startled as to why her mother was suddenly so violent. Remus was wordless, his hand rubbing on his wife's leg.

"Absolute rubbish, I can't _believe-"_ "You can't blame yourself for this, Dora." Remus told her. "Really, she had no right to let herself in and create slander the way she did. I suppose the good news is that at least this isn't the Prophet, you know? At least you didn't make national headlines."

"I suppose." Her headache was already back.


	90. The Case of Missing Papers

Tonks was just making her morning coffee when she realized something was wrong. Her tedious and careful husband had left behind his entire notebook of lesson plans on the kitchen table that Monday morning. She also noticed he had been on edge since she had come home, and he wasn't getting better, he was simply protecting her from it. But she tried not to focus on that too much. She worried more about her husband's compulsive need to rearrange the entire kitchen and his strange notion that someone had broken into their house. She also worried about her collection of files and papers for work that seemed to be in a mess, and whether a pair of tiny hands had gotten into them or Remus had been looking for something in her stuff. He had never done that before.

Tonks managed to put on pants and run a comb through her hair. She still looked a bit messy, but her plan had been to arrive just after breakfast. Andromeda didn't mind sitting over as Tonks stepped through the fireplace to Remus's office. It wasn't very clean, ash filling her nose, making her cough hard as she stumbled into his office.

"Excuse me," A muffled voice said, footsteps walking up toward her. She huffed, dusting herself off. "Thought I heard something."

Tonks took a deep breath and walked out into the classroom. The windows were bright and sunny; at least it wasn't raining in Scotland. Remus saw her and smiled. "Hello, love," He said lightly. "do you happen to have something for me?"

"Why? Am I always supposed to have something for you?" Tonks replied, holding his lessons planner behind her.

"I can't just say hello?"

He shot her a smug grin and tried to grab her hand.

"Ah," She yanked away, pursing her lips and holding out her cheek to him. He kissed her and Tonks let go of the book, letting it fall into his hands.

"Thank you." He nodded in approval.

"I gotta get back then. Bye, Rem," Tonks backed outout of the classroom and waved her hand vaguely at his class. One or two voices chirped a hello. "Bye, kids."

"Bye, Mrs. Lupin!" One student in the front said playfully. A couple others snorted with laughter.

"Bye, kiddo." She chimed. "You guys be good. I don't want to have to hear about you back at home."

"We'll be awful so you have to hear about us!"

And then she forgot about her own messy papers, swiftly sweeping them up and returning them to her bag. Tonks happened to forget them for a while, until a few weeks later at work, when everything began to fall to pieces.

"LUPIN!" A senior auror's voice yelled, practically from across the office. Her door was propped open, but she didn't hear much over her conversation with Bill Weasley, who had stopped by to say hello.

Tonks shot up straight, running around the desk and out the door towards the front desk. "Yes! I'm so sorry, what's going on?"

The auror looked furious. His eyes were dark and they cut through her like glass. He was holding a piece of paper in his clutched fist, but he didn't read it to her, nor did he hand it over. "Shacklebolt's office. _Now."_

Tonks swallowed silently and nodded, dropping her head and rushing to the elevator. When she had been in trouble at school, she may have been upset or embarrassed, but she had never seen anyone _that_ justifiably angry at her. She simply ducked down and kept walking.

Kingsley was waiting for her. His arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed together, leaning up against his desk. "Tonks."

"Kingsley?" Her heart was racing. Terrible thoughts rolled through her mind. "What's wrong?"

Kingsley didn't speak at first. "Tonks, where were your papers concerning the Rachner case?"

"The Rachner case? The-the family suspected of dark activity? You have them, sir, I believe. I gave them to my Senior Officer, he would have passed them on to you." She told him sheepishly. "Why?"

"My assistant and I were just in the process of going through all the files when I heard there was a murder. Word came in just a few minutes ago." Kingsley replied.

"A murder? Of who?"

"Three of our officers." Tonks covered her mouth with her hand. "McDonald, Robertson, and Elroy."

"Oh my god," She gasped. "what happened?"

"It seems they were all hunted down last night. Each in their own homes, going to bed with their spouses and all. Then this morning, they were all found, struck by a killing curse."

"No... oh god..." She shook her head. "Why did you call me in? What did I have to do with this?"

"Because _your file_ , one containing sensitive, private information on our case, is missing." The Minister told her, crossing his arms. "Why?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "You can get veritiserum, I don't care, it was _there,_ I _know_ I turned it in."

"Do you happen to know why half your papers are missing?"

"Perhaps I left them at home? Or in my bag? I'll look, seriously, I don't know." Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with emotion, and began crying. "I'm so sorry, Kingsley, _I don't know anything."_

"Tonks, we've barely started this investigation, but I want you to know how sloppy it is to lose papers of this caliber."

"I wouldn't have!" She defended. "I don't know what happened!"

He sighed. "Look, Tonks, you know I don't hold any personal grudges against you. But because of this just happening, you need to go on suspension."

"Suspension?"

"Temporarily, while we hunt down those papers and catch these murderers." He nodded.

Tonks went quiet. "So I just... I just leave and go home? That's it?"

"Temporarily, like I said." He nodded. "Dora, you've got awful bags under your eyes as it is. You're becoming reckless. You could use the time off."

"Please, I just got back-"

"It's final." Kingsley said firmly. "Go home, take care of your kids. We're going to figure this out. No matter what happened, there was still a breach in security that we have to deal with."

He wouldn't even finish the conversation before sending her home. She mulled over the news all day, wandering aimlessly around with the kids. Even Teddy could tell something was wrong when he saw her going back and looking in every nook and cranny for her papers. Remus came home just before dinner and asked her about her day. She knew he meant well, but she couldn't shake her uneasiness. He offered to check his office, but he said he hadn't seen them. Remus finally had to tell her to go take a bath, to find something to do to make relax before she completely lost it.

Lying in bed, Tonks couldn't fall asleep. Something felt very wrong and she didn't know what it could have been. When she finally did fall asleep, there was a stumbling noise from downstairs that awoke Tonks from it in an instant.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered, nudging her husband awake.

He groaned to a waking. "What?" He whispered back.

"Did you hear that? The noise."

"What noise?"

"The noise! I heard something."

"You did, did you?"

"I think there's something in the house..."

"What?"

"Well, I heard something!"

"It was probably just Elena or Teddy, moving in their sleep. I dunno. You probably just woke you up in a startle..."

"She's a baby. She can't make that much noise." Tonks glanced over towards the baby's cot that had been moved to help when she awoke. Elena was getting fussier and waking more through the night, making it easier just to keep the crib nearby for now.

"Do you need to go check it out?"

"Will you come with me?"

"Let me think... no."

"Then... then no, I guess I'll stay here." Tonks awkwardly confessed.

"Okay then."

There was another noise.

"You heard that, didn't you?"

"It was probably the cat."

"Remus!"

There was a pause. "Oh, right."

 _"Please_ come with me-"

"I'm not getting up."

"You're absolutely useless."

"Oh thank you."

Tonks picked up her wand from the nightstand. "The poor thing." She flicked it, causing it to emit light. She then pointed it at her husband, who winced.

"Dora, for crying out loud-"

"I know I heard something." She growled, hesitantly stumbling through he bedroom. "Please, for once in your life, be more paranoid."

"Just go look, if it's bothering you so much." Remus rolled over, burying his head in the pillow. "It's the house settling. Relax."

 _"You're_ the one talking about us having break ins!"

"Yeah? And how'd that blow over?"

"Hmm." His wife gave a dissatisfied look away as she made her way down to the kitchen. The house was dead quiet now. It felt as if every footstep was giving her position away.

"Hello?" She asked, looking around with her wand. "Is anyone there?"

No reply.

"Hello? Really, I'm just asking." Tonks circled back and hurried towards Teddy's room. "Teddy, Sweetheart?" He was still sound asleep in bed. She took a deep breath and flicked her light out. Teddy was a light sleeper and the light probably would have gotten him up.

She took a step backwards. Out of the dark, a pair of hands grabbed ahold of her, pinning her arms to her chest. The air was sucked out of her lungs and she let out a frightened cry before thinking.

"Shh." It was a man's voice that urged her, but it certainly wasn't Remus's. He was taller and stronger, but she couldn't see his face. Her wand had been knocked to the floor, light shining up at them. "If you scream again, I will kill you."

She tried to steady her breath, his hand loosening on her mouth. "Please, just let me go and let me shut the soor... or shut the door yourself. You'll wake my son up and he'll start crying and I don't think you want that." He tightened his grip around her chest and she whimpered.

"You don't seem to be getting our message, do you?" He said in a low voice. "Did you think I was handing you empty threats when I've been watching you from the street? We've been leaving you dead animals close enough for that mutt husband of yours to hunt down, or did he not tell you about those? And you didn't seem to get our message when we murdered your cat." She thrashed her body, shrinking back when her head hit the doorframe. "I suppose you lot are too stupid to be afraid of much. And I suppose you haven't been getting our letters."

"I get rude mail all the time, actually. So don't act so special." She urged him again, though she didn't shout. "Now let me go, right now."

He didn't say anything, but he shifted his arm from her chest to putting her in a headlock. Now, she had a free hand to claw at his arm with, but he was firm in not moving. Tonks swore she heard him laugh at her.

"You're too easy, huh?" He said. She braced herself, waiting for a hand to grope her, but her head just got pulled further back by his elbow. Tonks coughed and strained at him.

"Are you going to kill me then?" She panicked, trying to sound as calm as she could.

"Not tonight." He told her. Hot air blew down the side of her face, and she could feel his skin on hers.

"Are you here to kill my husband? Or my kids?" Tonks asked, her heart pounding in her chest. He didn't respond. "You aren't very good at threatening."

"This is your last warning, Lupin." He told her. She managed to free one of her hands and tried clawing him with a struggle. He knocked her backwards and her body hung suspended by his grip. Tonks groaned and tried kicked her feet, but she just slid around on the floor as he dragged her away from the door. "You back out of the Ministry and resign from your position. You don't want to know what happens next time."

"Why?" Tonks asked. "Why are you doing this? What are you looking for?"

"You took something from us, someone rather." He said.

"Did I now?"

"You stupid aurors don't know what's good for you, do you? Locking up or killing some of the world's most powerful witches and wizards because you don't believe in their ideology. Well guess what? We don't exactly believe in your ideology either."

"Why me?" Tonks whimpered. "Why not... anyone else? Why not someone more important than me?"

"You're just the beginning, Lupin. We've got three of your men dead already." He told her. "I am surprised, though. I expected you'd be more frightened by our other tactics than your husband. Though it's no matter. Perhaps he's had time to reconcile his part with the death of one, Pettigrew."

She didn't say anything.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to leave you here, and if you decide to ignore us again and go back to the Ministry, perhaps you'll consider taking us a bit more seriously when it's your children instead of your cat."

Tonks gasped as the man let go of her. Instinctively, she grabbed her wand and pointed it at his back. "Stupefy!" She whispered. He was too slow to react, before falling forward onto the floor. Tonks hurried to turn on the lights, finally getting to see the man's face. She screamed.


	91. Trespassers

Tonks was shaking, both from fear and being cold. People from the Ministry were still walking around their house, talking in hushed voices. As much as she hated it, having people nearby was somehow comforting. She felt tremendously safer with the man in custody and there being a horde of wands around, she still couldn't get rid of her fright.

"He's gone now. He's been taken away and put in jail." Remus told his son. Teddy was crying silently in his father's arms. "It's just Mummy and Lena, and all these other people are aurors from the Ministry. They're aurors just like your mum. See, she knows them. She's friends with them, even."

"No..." The boy cried. "I don't wanna see the bad guys."

"They're gone. I promise. No more bad guys." Teddy hid his face in his father's chest. "Not a single one in sight."

People talked to each other in low voices and Remus paced around the house with Teddy in his arms. Slowly but surely, the little boy drifted off in his father's arms. But Remus never went too far away from his wife, who was uncomfortable being alone.

"How is he?" She asked quietly.

"Still asleep." Remus sighed, looking down at the little boy in his arms. He carefully laid him down next to his mother, resting a blanket on top of the boy, and resting it over his wife's shoulders. "I'm amazed too, given how much talking's been going on. How's this one?"

"She's just a bit fussy." Elena was extremely anxious with all the strangers around, especially with how much attention she was being given. She loved to be loved, but not right now, at one in morning by strangers. Tonks rocked her gently in her arms. "I know she's not hungry, thank god, but she's got to be tired and she's going to start crying if people don't clear out soon." She grumbled in a voice she hoped would be loud enough to be heard by the other aurors.

Remus squinted at his watch, before handing his wrist to his wife. "What is it? Another half-hour, maybe, before they leave?"

"Maybe, yeah." She nodded. "I'm sure they want to get out of here and go back to sleep."

"Then take Teddy and Lena to your Mum's for the night." He gently suggested. "

"You'd be coming too, though, right?" He shook his head. "She doesn't need to have us show up in a panic at one in the morning anyways."

"Dora, it's over with, honestly. I can stay here if they have any further questions to ask. You're not going to be able to get any sleep here." He said softly, kissing her forehead.

"I don't want to get any sleep right now." She mumbled. Elena coughed and whined, squirming in her mother's arms. "Shh, sweetheart, it's okay. We're okay."

"Officer Lupin?" A junior auror with short. curly hair approached quietly, a notepad in her hands. She smiled weakly. "I asked to be the one to tell you. You're off suspension. Not officially, we need to get Kingsley to sign and all, but it's already pretty definite."

"Thanks?" Tonks shook her head. "Where's... did you find the missing papers on the Rachner case?"

"We just did actually." She replied, turning to look at the other aurors. "I don't have them with me, but Mr. Sloan's-"

"What?" Remus turned to the woman.

The auror awkwardly stammered. "Well, it- you see, the man that entered your house was a wizard named Arthur Sloan. I don't know if you realized when you saw him or-"

"No kidding." Remus shook his head. "We were in such a hurry, I suppose I didn't get a good look at his face."

"I did." Tonks confessed. "Everything was going on at once... though, I suppose I couldn't really... I didn't understand, I-"

"It's okay, dear." He assured her. "His wife, what was her name? Is she involved...?"

"We can't release anything yet." The witch informed. "But... since you're _technically_ a reinstated auror... we have some substantial evidence here that he and his wife were Ministry conspirators. But you didn't hear that from me. They have a son that's seventeen. Technically, he _is_ an adult, but we're in the process of investigating him as well."

"What are the odds of something like this happening?" Tonks asked. "I mean, we _just_ _moved here."_

"I suppose they 'lucked out' if you will. Of all the witches and wizards to land the place, they got one from the Ministy." The auror said. She let out a deep sigh. "I'm so sorry, Tonks. I know I barely know you, but I feel awful. You've already had so much going on, first Egypt, then the Prophey's pissed about that thing with Rita. Half the people are a mess about that article and the other half's not even read it yet."

"It's fine." Tonks tried to put on a friendly smile. "Things will settle down soon enough, I'm sure."

"You're one of our best seniors here and we wouldn't want you to get scared off, you know?" The witch said in a concerned voice. "Not that I wouldn't understand, I'm sure you're really upset right now."

"Thank you." She nodded again.

"Can someone come help me? Please!" Someone shouted from outside the door. Several confused aurors walked over with their wands drawn, carefully opening the door. "Shut it! Quickly!" He exclaimed, hurrying inside, appearing to be holding something under his coat.

"What's going on?" Remus asked, standing up with his wand drawn. "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"

The wizard panted and seemed to give and awkward wiggle as he tried to unbutton his coat. Then out popped a cat, right onto the floor, dazed and confused. "Poor thing was hiding behind a bookshelf when I found him. He fled when he heard the aurors going in and about." He explained breathlessly, bent over. "I think he about clawed me to death-"

"What the hell is going on?" Remus asked, staring in bewilderment. "Is that...?

The cat stared up and let out a soft meow.

"Is that _Patches?"_ Tonks gasped. He meowed again. "Oh my god, I thought he was dead! _You said_ he was dead!"

"I thought he was dead too, but I also thought our nextdoor neighbours were muggles who owned a law firm!" Remus said, picking up the cat. He was sitting against his owner's chest, purring. "Hi, buddy, how've you been, huh?"

Teddy sleepily sat up on the couch, rubbing his tired face. "Mummy?"

"Hey, love, I'm here, I'm right here." She cooed, rubbing his back. "Look here, look who they found."

"What?" He asked, his eyes quickly looking around. Remus walked over and knelt down, showing him the cat. "Patches?"

"Yeah, he's home now." Tonks laughed. "Be very gentle, he might get startled." The little boy carefully brushed his hand over the cat's scruff.

"Why?" Remus asked, looking over his shoulder to look at the other aurors. "Why would they have kept him alive? Do you think they were _planning_ on killing him, or...?"

"I'm not sure." The wizard huffed. "Perhaps it was some sort of sick joke or perhaps they were planning on disposing of him later. If you'll excuse me, but it seems to me that we're not exactly dealing with the most dangerous, 'worst-of-the-worst' when it comes to death eaters. They seemed to be more focused on some... weird kind of psychological terror. I'd call them amateurs at best, but I digress, honestly."

"Were they marked?" Remus asked.

"Marina isn't. Arthur is." An auror said. "I suspect they're late second-wave death eaters, joining after You-Know-Who's second coming, towards the end of the war."

"I missed you." Teddy said, scratching behind the melancholic cat's ears.

"He missed you too, I bet." Remus smiled told the boy.

There was a shrill howl and Elena began squirming around in her mother'sarms, her face turning bright red. Tonks sighed and stood up, rocking the baby in her arms. "I'm so sorry." She said quietly. She was standing there awkwardly, unsure of where to go and turned to her husband for guidance. "Um-"

"Here, I'll take her outside." Remus offered. Patches jumped down onto the couch and snuggled up to Teddy. Tonks quickly passed off the baby to her husband.

Tonks sunk back down into the couch and Teddy crawled up into her lap with Patches. Her fingers ran through the boy's hair. "I'm so sorry that this is all happening, Teddy."

"It's okay." Teddy shrugged.

"No, it's not." She mumbled. "We're going to go to Nana's for a bit, okay?"

"Are we staying the night?"

"We're probably going to stay for a few nights, actually." Tonks sighed. "Dad's going to tell her that we're coming."

"So the bad guys don't get us?" The boy asked, but Tonks didn't reply.

Andromeda had already turned her porchlights off for the night, and answered the door in her dressing robe, her hair wrapped on top of her head. She worriedly stared at her daughter, who was in her pajamas and had Teddy wrapped up in a blanket with Patches under her other arm, while Remus, similarly dressed, had Elena.

"Is something wrong, dear?"

"Someone broke into the house. It's a rather long story..." Remus explained the entire story and how the aurors had showed up while helping Andromeda make the upstairs bed. Teddy was far from being tired and was now wound up and bouncing around on the bed.

"Teddy, please stop." His mother urged.

"Why?" He laughed.

"Because you'll fall, now stop." She urged.

"I'll go grab some extra blankets." Andromeda sighed.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Remus chuckled, grabbing ahold of the boy and slinging him over his shoulder. Teddy squealed with laughter and squirmed around, playfully hitting him.

Tonks huffed, trying to put Elena down in her bed. "Can you two not-"

Remus sighed and laid Teddy back down on the bed. "Alright, fun's over." He told the boy. Teddy whined. "I know, I'm sorry."

"Do I have to brush my teeth again?" Teddy asked.

"No." She remarked. Teddy began to open his mouth to say something. "It's because you haven't eaten anything." She quickly threw in, sitting down on the bed. "Come on, we need to calm down and go to bed."

"But I'm not tired."

"Come on, Teddy." She coaxed, curling up in the bed.

"Your Mum's right. Besides, tomorrow's a big day, you know." Remus told Teddy, tucking him in beside his mother before turning the light off and joining them. The cat came padding down the hall, jumping up onto the bed, curling up at their feet.

"What's tomorrow?" Teddy asked curiously.

"Remus-"

"Well you see, tomorrow's Mummy's birthday."

Tonks groaned and rolled over onto her side, facing away from the other two.

"Mummy, how old are you?" The little boy wondered.

"I'm turning twenty-eight."

"Oh." He thought for a moment. "Who's older?"

"Daddy's almost forty-one, so he's older."

"Dad, you're _old."_

"More importantly is that Mummy won't say what she wants for her birthday."

"I don't want anything."

"That's not an answer." Remus said lightly.

"Get me a nice card, okay?"

"Oh come on, Dora, I told you to think of something for me to get you."

"And I said I didn't want anything!"

"Okay, okay..." He sighed.

The room stayed completely quiet. "You could... I dunno, just take me out to a nice dinner."

"Can I go?"

Remus chuckled. "We'll see."

"Okay."

"Goodnight, you three."

"Goodnight, Daddy."

"Night, Remus."


	92. Finding The Perfect Gift

"Now I'll be honest with you, Professor," Ginny said hesitantly, staring up into the attic. Elena was perched on her hip, trying to put a handful of the girl's long red hair in her mouth. "We... don't really know what's up there. When we moved in, we trashed pretty much everything in the rooms, furniture and all. We kept some boxes of stuff, so if you're looking for something in particular, it'd probably be in there."

"Thanks, Ginny." Remus smiled. "And thanks for watching the kids, too."

"Oh come on, you act like these little sweeties are a burden to us or something." She teased, coaxing the infant's hand away from her hair. "But honestly? There's probably stuff from the first Order up there. Probably before the Order even got the house."

"I'd suspect there is." He replied. He strained a bit to get up the ladder and realized that he could barely stand up straight without hitting his head. He was surprised at how far the room spanned, even with such a limited walkway. "You don't suppose there are any dead bodies up here, do you?"

"Not any of ours, at least, we keep those in the basement."

"What do we keep in the basement?" Harry asked, walking up the ladder, drawing his wand

"Nothing." Ginny laughed, pecking him on the cheek.

"There's a lot of furniture that we decided to not get rid of." He flicked his wand. "Lumos. I wouldn't be surprised if whatever you're looking for got buried under something. What are we looking for exactly?"

"I just thought that there could be a bunch of stuff we forgot to pack up when we left. Particularly, any personal items or photographs." Remus shook his head. "I dunno, it was on a whim."

"Actually, I think so." Harry said, looking around the dim attic. "I kept a lot of Sirius's stuff, and I'd bet if there was anything, it'd be over there."

The two fumbled around crooked piles of furniture and carboard boxes through the dark. A few centipedes and doxies were riled up to have humans invade their honesRemus could already feel cobwebs covering his head and shoulders.

Harry picked up a dirty shoe box, prying up the lid. "This looks like a bunch of photographs. It was inside Sirius's dresser, and I have no idea what they are, so-" He handed it over to Remus.

"Thanks." He nodded, opening the lid to examine them. "I think these are the ones I was thinking of."

"Find what you were looking for?" Ginny asked at the bottom of the steps.

"I think so." He nodded. "Thank you for the idea, Ginny."

"No problem." She smiled friendly. "I dunno, I think she'll love something sentimental like that. She's not very materialistic, is she?"

"Nope."

It was strange to wake up in an empty house, especially one that wasn't hers. For a second, Tonks woke up and saw her old bedroom surrounding her, and all she wanted was to stay there all day.

"Morning, Birthday Girl." Andromeda remarked as she came out into the living room. "I was going to offer to make breakfast, but given that it's already after noon, I ought to offer to fix lunch."

"Where's Remus and the kids?"

"Out." Andromeda said, looking back down at the magazine in her lap.

"Out where?"

"I'm not supposed to say, sorry."

"Supposed to." Tonks implored.

"And I'm not going to."

"Could you at least tell me for to sake of my kids, please?"

"What? Do you think Remus is an incompetent father who's incapable of watching the kids by himself?"

"No, I'd just like to know where everyone is, given everything that's happened in the past day."

"For one, your cat's trying to climb in the fireplace." Andromeda remarked, pointing to the empty fireplace where Patches was sure enough trying to get into, but couldn't due to the screen in his way. "But everyone else is out."

"I hope he remembered to put a hat on Teddy..." Tonks mumbled to herself. "And Lena's probably pitching a fit."

"Dora, they'll be fine." Her mother reassured. "He can handle them fine. He said he'd probably be back in a few hours. If you're feeling up to it, you probably need something to wear to that dinner next week."

"Mum, you don't have to-"

"I know you're an adult and all that, but I can at least buy something for you." She offered.

Tonks let out a sigh. "Can I at least eat something first?"

The next thing Tonks knew, she was in a dressing room with a strange elderly muggle woman helping her zip up her dress. "I think this one looks good on your waist, but it's a bit up at the top. You could try a size down or-" The woman told her in a nasally voice.

Tonks stared at herself in the mirror, hoping her mother would toss in an opinion. "I, um, I'm not sure." She suddenly felt extremely insecure and wished she could morph, but knew she couldn't with a muggle touching her. This left her feeling insecure and extremely vulnerable. "I dunno, do you happen to have anything darker? I don't think I look so great in bright or pastel colours."

"Oh, that's fine." The woman nodded and unzipped the back of her dress.

"Honestly, if you just have any sort of plain black dress, I'm sure that would suffice."

"Dora, really, you could use some colour on you." Andromeda advised her daughter. "You look washed out in black, and besides. now that you're hair's brown, you can pull off bright patterns. Try something different for a change."

"I just want something simple." The two nearly broke out into an argument, before settling on something that was a dark green velvet that had enough colour to satisfy Andromeda and let them leave before memories of her daughter's teenage and early adult life resurfaced.

By the time the two got back to the house, there was a minor ruckus occurring in the kitchen proceeding the sound of a metal bowl falling onto the tile. Andromeda rounded the corner into the kitchen. "Is that my Teddy Bear, making a mess of my kitchen?" She asked.

"No!" Teddy laughed.

Tonks followed behind her, but was immediately met with her husband in the doorway, his arm held out to keep her from entering. "Sorry, kitchen's off limits."

"Oh really?" She replied, leaning up against the door. "Where were you this morning?"

"That's a surprise for after dinner." He smiled innocently. "How was your day?"

"Fine, I guess." She replied. "Are you covered in... dust? Is that a spider web in your hair?"

"Long story." He shook his head, his smile faltering slightly. "Again, something for later.

"What? Is my birthday present that you dusted the house for me or something?"

"Uh, no." He replied quickly, glancing over his shoulder. "It's just a couple cobwebs. Promise."

"Yeah, okay, well they better not be in my cake, you hear? Or whatever abomination you're creating in there."

"What?" He turned back again and smiled. "Our son is doing a very good job. I have no idea why you'd call that an abomination."

"You're not letting him near the oven, are you?" She hesitantly laughed. He pressed a kiss on her lips. "Well go on! You still need to supervise him!"

He stared at her with a giddy smile.

"What?" She asked.

He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Nothing." He replied, swiftly pulling her back in for another kiss. "I saw you got some new clothes."

Tonks dug through her bag and held up her dress by the hanger. "Mum about had a fit over the whole ordeal. Suddenly I think I remember why I moved out."

"I think it looks fine. It would probably look better on you, though." Remus looked it over decisively. "Can I see it on you?"

"Maybe later." She said dryly and returned it to the bag.

"Can I see it being _put_ _on_ you?"

Tonks rolled her eyes and playfully hit him. "Maybe _later."_ He laughed, still blocking her way. "So when are we going home?"

"We can go back tonight after we eat, if you'd like."

"That would be wonderful, actually." She let out a sigh of relief. "Not really sure why I decided to pack this shirt. I knew it'd be too small...""Are you okay? Is something bothering you?" Remus asked, brushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I feel like I've just got a lot going on at the moment." She confessed. "Did you remember to put a hat on Teddy when you went out?"

"Yes, I did." He assured. He put his arms around her shoulders and she squeezed him back. "Everything's going to be okay now."

"It's hard to believe that." Tonks mumbled in his chest. "I still can't even morph a whole part of my face. Or my hair. I feel like I've lost everything."

"You didn't lose everything."

"Well sure, I haven't lost you or the kids, but what am I supposed to be now?" Her feelings suddenly began to pour out of her. "I'm _stuck_. I'm going to look like me _forever_ I'm _never_ going to be anyone _but_ me. How am I supposed to be _useful_ like this?"

"I know how frustrating this must be for you. " He reassured, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "You're an excellent dueller. You're a good mother. You're a wonderful friend and wife. You're probably one of the kindest people I know. I don't think I've met anyone who's as driven by compassion as you. I'm pretty sure I've seen you defile the laws of physics and revive plants from the dead." The last bit made her laugh a bit. "You are so much more than your ability to shapeshift."

"But that was _my thing_. My ability to hide myself has been _my skill_. _My job._ "

"And you can still do that, can't you? You can still change everything else about yourself."

"But people will still know it's me."

"That doesn't mean you can't adapt to it. Aren't you a witch?"

"Yeah." She said in a low voice.

"Then I promise you can figure out how to adapt to these changes."

Teddy appeared from behind, shyly hugging his father's leg. "Can I have a hug too?"

Tonks pulled away, tears already streaking her face and smudging her mascara. "Yeah." She picked him up and held him against her chest.

"I love you, Mummy." The boy muttered

"I know you do." She sniffled. "I love you too."

"What about me?" Remus asked, wrapping his arms around them.

Teddy groaned. "You're squishing me!"

Tonks's favourite food had to be pasta. Mainly, this was due to the inability to burn water. A key downside was the fact that hot water could splash up onto her, but could be fixed easily with a glass lid. Now, she was just one step a way from mastering the art of boiling pasta.

Remus found humour in it. No matter how messy she was, he thought she was fun to cook with. She was the kind of person to enthusiastically take pride in her accomplishments, and if they were as simple as boiling pasta, by god, she had reason to be proud.

"See? I can cook. And I did it right." She said in an almost smug voice. Teddy and Elena in the other room with his grandmother and their laughter could be heard.

"Did you check the stove?"

She quickly looked over at the stove, twisting the knobs to make sure they were all off. "...yes."

"And you did it right, yes." He smiled. "so are you going to open your presents?"

"When we get home." She let out a yawn. "Or after we eat, I dunno."

"Come on, just sit down for a second." Remus handed her three envelopes and a box wasn't much bigger than both of her hands, and led her back to the table with much insistence.

Tonks carefully opened and read over her cards, and set them aside. The third one was thicker with a rectangular lump keeping it from closing all the way. She carefully peeled the back open and pulled out several photographs. "What are these?"

"I found them at Harry and Ginny's place."

The faces stared back at her. In the first one, her arms were wrapped around his arm, hiding her face in his shoulder. She could see her hidden smile through her eyes. He appeared to be smiling in the photo as well. They both looked lifetimes younger and seemingly happier. She recognized the sofa as the one in front of the fireplace in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. "Oh my god... when was this taken? '94? Almost eight years ago? I don't even remember this being taken." She stared at it and laughed. "I was absolutely smitten with you from the beginning, wasn't I?"

"Yeah." Remus smiled. "It's amazing how long it took me to catch on to that."

"Were we dating then?"

"I don't think so. It was another six months or so before."

Tonks flipped through to the second one. It appeared to have been taken just before or after the other one. She was laughing harder, her leg swinging over almost into his lap. He was laughing too. The camera was wobbily, and a bit of what appeared to be Sirius swept past in the background. They would grow stiff and try and be serious until she playfully kissed him on the cheek. His face would turn bright red as they laughed away.

"What made you think of these?" She asked. "I didn't even remember taking them."

"I didn't either. I went to Ginny for advice on what to get you and she made the suggestion to go look." He explained. "Something about Fleur would've suggested jewelry."

"We're very sentimental people." She remarked in astonishment. "But _wow,_ no, I wouldn't have remember any of this. It's not much more than a blur sometimes, honestly."

"I know." He replied. There were photos of Sirius too, only some of them in his camera shy human form. There was one of the entire Second Order. Old, forgotten faces became more recognizable the longer she stared at them. There were photos of various people going about their days. It was hard to believe they were hiding from a war.

"I don't even know why we did this. It's blantent incrimination if anyone found these back then!" Tonks laughed. "'Oh yeah, we decided to be cute and now we're facing twenty to life'."

She reachee out to grab the package, but her husband swiftly grabbed her hand. "First, I know we had that talk earlier about how you need to learn to adapt with your new scar. I don't want any of your thoughts to change when you see this."

"What?"

"I... Dora, I want you to be able to be comfortable with yourself, not hide from your problems." Remus explained.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He let up on her hand. "Just open it and see."

The weight of it shifted in her hand. "It sounds like there are little things in there. Did you put bugs or something in a box to try and scare me?"

"No, Dora, they aren't bugs."

Carefully, Tonks lifted back the wrapping paper. She stared down at the box in her lap then up at him. "Remus-" She sighed. He waited for her response. "I... I'm speechless, honestly."

"Good speechless or bad?"

"Good, I'm just..." She smiled at Remus weakly. "Thank you."

"You sound like something's wrong."

"No!" Her eyes fell back on the box. "Honestly, I'm just... surprised, is all. This is not what I expected."

He paused. "I missed your old look. I really do think pink suits you better."

"Well it's sure pink." She laughed. "Thank you. Really, for everything. You know, this is probably the most unconventional birthday I've ever had, but I'm enjoying myself quite a bit. I mean, old photographs, hair colour, and all."

Remus leaned over and pecked a kiss on the end of her nose, which made her pull a face, the two of them snickering to themselves. "Happy birthday."

 **AN: OH SHOOT HAPPY BIRTHDAY EVERYONE! In case you didn't see, today is the one year anniversary/birthday of this fanfiction. I felt this chapter was very appropriate. Thank you so much for reading, any and everyone who's there. Honestly, if I can just make a couple people really happy with my writing, or even just one, I'm cool with that. I never really imagined having 70 followers though. Thank you so much everyone!**


	93. Christmas Eve

"I just wanted a small dinner." Tonks told her husband over the clamour in the other room. She was wielding a flat frosting knife and was smoothing out chocolate frosting on a cake that was still finishing cooling. "Just Mum, Fleur and Bill and the kids."

"Yeah, I don't see that happening." Remus said. He was trying to sound light hearted, but his tired, wrinkled face told a different, more worried story. "You really ought to give it a rest."

She wasn't sure if he was refering to her mediocre cake frosting skills or her annual plight for a small Christmas. His wife shot him a look over her shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her waist. She finished the last of the frosting, digging out the last of it with the knife. "Here, I know what you were waiting for," She scooped up some of the frosting with her finger, reaching up and letting him eat it off her finger.

"Hm!" Remus winced with a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Hey, no biting!" She giggled, playfully swatting him as she made her way to the sink, licking the icing off the knife and washing her hands. Her husband pecked a kiss on her lips and they both stared at each other lovingly, kissing each other again.

"I love you." He muttered.

She hummed, smiling up at him. "I love you more."

"Is that a bet you're making?" He teased.

"Is it?" She countered, nudging him away with her hip. "Can you check on the oven for me?"

"Sure." He walked around her and took a look in the oven. "It's burned. You burned the ham."

"What! No!" She exclaimed, quickly turning around. He was laughing. "I hate you. I hate you and you're the worst person ever."

"Oh I'm sure you do." Remus replied. There was an angry fumbling into the kitchen. "Hey! Hey, we said no running you two!"

Two little girls came scrambled through the kitchen after each other, laughing and playfully pushing each other around. "Stay out of the kitchen, please! Lena! Vic! Are you listening to me?" Tonks sighed. The two shuffled out, paying little attention to them. She looked up at her husband and shook her head. "What are we going to do with them?"

"Dunno." He remarked, letting out an equally heavy sigh. He disappeared into the living room. Ginny and Harry were sitting in the floor, baby Lily Luna standing up on her knees, giving her a small toothy grin. Subsequently, Ron and Hermione had tagged along, with their toddlers Rose and Hugo. Fleur was fluttering in and out of the kitchen to help where she could. Andromeda was happily occupying an armchair with a glass of firewhiskey.

James, Louis, Albus, and Rose had already found each other. Being within the same two years, the three and four year cousins often herded together. Dominique, Victoire, and Elena were practically bounded at the hip when they got together. Teddy was the outlier. He was too old to play with the younger kids. Although he was barely older than Victoire, his mind was already focused on growing up. He was just a few months away from getting his letter for school and it couldn't come fast enough.

The sulking almost-teenager found his way into the kitchen. "Hey Mum, how much longer until dinner?" At almost eleven years old, he still looked like a child rather than like a young adult, and shared many of his features with his mother. Today he wore his hair in a curly fashion, similar to his father's, except for the fact that it was a dull turquois.

She looked at her watch. "Ten minutes, maybe? Hey, could you do me a favour? Go say hi to your Nana, please. She asked about you."

"Do I have to?" He asked. "I don't really want to talk to anyone right now."

"I know. I swear, you're as introverted as your father. But hey, it's just for tonight, though. Tomorrow it'll be just us." His mother assured. She brushed her hair out of her face. Nowadays, it was more natural looking and longer, with bright purple on the ends. Her bangs were swept back, exposing a long burn scar.

"It's kinda dumb that you had a baby on boxing day." He laughed lightly. "Maybe things wouldn't be complete chaos."

"That's not my fault!" She said back defensively. "Hell, your sister probably would've killed me! We do this every year, for crying out loud."

"It's tradition." The boy smirked.

"What's tradition?" Remus asked, returning from the living room.

"Blaming Mum for having Lena on Christmas and ruining it for everyone." Teddy teased her.

"Oh yes, I seem to have forgotten that one." Remus rolled his eyes. He reached around to a basket on the cabinet and tried to steal one of the dinner rolls.

"Will. You. Quit. It." Tonks pulled a face and slapped at her husband's arm.

"Well that's not very nice." He grimaced.

"Then get out of my kitchen." She said through gritted teeth.

"Your kitchen?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, exasperated. "I'm doing my best, okay?"

"Dor, I'm just playing." Remus sighed, putting his hand up to keep her from walking away. "Better shape up or you're not getting anything for Christmas."

"You're in the way." She insisted.

"Just take a break. You've done a great job tonight." He coaxed, pulling her into a side hug.

"You guys are gross." Teddy remarked in disgust, turning to leave the kitchen.

Tonks looked up at her husband. "Maybe he'll actually go and socialize with the rest of the family for once."

"He's not as shy as you give him credit. He's just a kid. He's ready to grow up. He doesn't get all of this yet. Besides, there's no one here his age. He's probably bored out of his skull."

"He could at least be polite and say hi."

"He's practically a teenager." Remus rolled his eyes. "You're going to have to get used to it."

"But I don't want to. I'm not ready for them to grow up." She dramatically pouted.

"Would you rather he not move out?"

She waggled her head in consideration. "Okay, maybe that would be appreciated."

"See?" Remus chucked, letting her go.

"Maybe we keep Lena here." Tonks laughed. "One can stay here and the other one can can move out give us grandkids."

The kitchen table wasn't big enough for all of the guests. They brought some extra chairs into the living room and made space to let everyone gather for a rather informal Christmas Eve dinner.

"So Elena, when do your parents typically let you open your presents?" Bill asked, sliding a bright pink present over to her. Elena had pink freckled cheeks and long, straight dark brown hair. Her eyes were gentle, but a deep brown colour.

"Mum?" She asked, turning to her mother. "Can I open it now?"

"Well you know, you've still got two days until your birthday..." Her mother rolled her eyes. "You aren't eight yet."

"But we're allowed to open one present, right? We do it every year." The girl pleaded, putting on a bright smile. Dominique was next to her in the floor, braiding her hair. "Just one present on Christmas Eve? Pretty please?"

Tonks looked over at her husband then back at her daughter. "Okay, go on then, but your brother gets one too."

Everyone seemed to watch Teddy as he walked over to the Christmas tree and grabbed a present to open. Elena was already happily tearing open her own present. She held up a silver box and opened it up with a gasp. "Oh my goodness!" Lena exclaimed, taking out a silver bracelet. "It's so pretty..."

"It has your birthstones on it, see?" Fleur pointed out. "And it has your initials on it. I thought you'd like it."

"What've you got, Teddy?" Tonks wondered.

"Clothes." Teddy said bluntly.

"What kind of clothes?" Bill pried, trying to encourage some sort of enthusiasm out of him.

"Oh, they're just some flannel pajamas that I asked for." The boy gave him a weak smile.

"How come we can't open presents early?" James asked his parents.

"Because it's Lena's birthday." Harry explained, setting the boy up on his lap so that he could see better.

"Do you get more presents from Santa?" James asked.

Elena smiled cheerfully. "I get about the same every year." She shrugged. "It's not that big of a deal."

Lily Luna, Louis, and Hugo were already fast asleep by the time the goodbyes had been said. Albus and Rose were drifting off by the time they were being taken home, though James seemed to be wound up like a top, jumping and running all over the place.

Elena was already in her night clothes, sitting straight on her bed. There was a knock on the door. Patches, the old Kneazel, was curled up in her lap and purring. "Are you decent?"

"You can come in, Dad!" She called. Remus carefully entered and pulled the door shut behind him. "Can I ask you something?"

"You just did." He pointed out.

"No, like a real question." Elena grumbled. "How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa? And playing with toys and all?"

He sat down on the edge of the bed and didn't say anything at first. "I dunno. Maybe when I was your brother's age or so? Why?"

"I feel like a baby." She confessed, stroking the cat's head. "Like I shouldn't be excited for Santa or toys."

"Just because your brother is pretending to be a grown up, doesn't mean you have to, as well." He chuckled. "Your brother's just... well, he's changing a lot right now."

"He smells bad and he doesn't wash his hair."

"You have a good point there. But he's in a sort of transitional age. He's not a kidkid, he's not a teenager yet." Remus explained. "He's trying to figure out who or what he is. He'strying to be more mature, that's all."

"So he's going to be lame forever?"

"No," He said lightly. "Soon enough, you'll be trying to convince us that you don't want to sleep with your stuffed animals or that you don't want me to come say goodnight every night."

Elena frowned and reached across her bed to her favourite stuffed bear, clutching him against her chest. Patches meowed, startled, and crawled back to the floor to make his escape out of the room. "I never want to get rid of Mr. Theodore." She announced.

"You don't have to." Her father reassured. "Teddy still has some of his stuffed animals. He just keeps them in his closet."

"Do I have to put my stuffed animals in the closet too?"

"Only when you want to." Remus sighed. "Just... please understand that this could very well be Teddy's last Christmas here. Next year, he'll be off at school and then seven more years, and he'll graduate. Try and put up with him in all his smelliness, will you?"

She scrunched up her nose. "I'll try."

He laughed. "Alright, well, if my watch is correct, it's _way_ past little girls' bedtime."

 _"Daaaadd..."_ He put his arms around her. "Better fall asleep quick or there won't be any presents under the tree tomorrow morning. And you _know_ how badly I've been needing some new socks..."

"Dad, you're lame." She laughed. "Goodnight."

Remus sighed dramatically as he got up. "Night, Lena. See you in the morning."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite!" She called after him as he shut out the light.

 **AN: Here it is, way over due! So initially, my plan had been to write 99 chapters, upload chapter 100 on the one year anniversary, and let this be the first chapter after that. Hopefully, from here on out, my updates will be regular and on time. It was great hearing from you guys, and you're always welcome to reach out to me (thinking maybe doing a QA on this story or something? idk) Love all of you!**


	94. The Brink of Eleven

"Told her I'd do it myself, no charge, but she said no." Tonks smiled.

Elena looked extremely uncomfortable. A worker at the store carefully swabbed her earlobes. "Well I don't know why." Teddy remarked.

"Numb you up with some ice. Get a needle and a potato and just-!" She made a popping noise with her tongue and made a jabbing gestured with her hand.

Elena flinched. "Mum!"

"What? I've done it on myself before, and I'm not dead yet, am I?" Her mother laughed.

"Okay, now I'm just going to make two small dots, one one each ear, so I can line up the piercing." The scrawny muggle woman said. This was the only store that didn't seem too flooded with people returning Christmas gifts. Elena had asked a few weeks ago if she could get her ears pierced, just like Victoire and Dominique had theirs done as babies, but now she felt a lot more anxious. She had cried on the way there.

"What if they start bleeding?" Elena wondered.

"You'll be okay, Lena." Her mother assured in a low voice. "Your medicine's been doing great and your ears have tiny blood vessels in them. They shouldn't bleed that much. And your doctor said this was fine."

"So you're sure you want the pearl ones?" The woman asked.

"Yes, please." Elena nodded, apprehensively watching her load the plastic gun. "Is it quick? Does it hurt a lot?"

"It'll take two seconds each, if that."

"But it'll feel like ten." Tonks said. Remus shot her a nasty look. "I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just warning you. It'll feel like an eternity. It's like... an unusually slow rubber band. It won't hurt more than that."

"Is that bad?" Her daughter wondered.

"It'll still be done and over with before you know it. Here, do you want me to hold your hands while she does it?" Tonks offered.

"I'd rather Dad-" She embarassedly held out her hands to her father.

"Here, it's okay." He smiled, taking her hands. "You don't have to close your eyes. Just focus on my face."

The clerk pressed the plastic earring gun against her ear. "Ready? I'll count down. One, two, three-" There was a quick snap and Elena flinched, her eyes growing wide.

Tonks smiled proudly. "There you go!" She beamed. "One down, one to go!"

"Ow." Elena said bluntly, her eyes still wide.

"Now I've got to do the other one." The store worker said, walking around to the other side. "One... two... three..." There was another snap and Elena flinched. Sweat was beading up on her forehead.

"You did it!" Her father squeezed her hands. "I'm so proud of you. And look! They look great, they aren't even bleeding."

"Are you sure?" The girl asked wearily.

"If they do, it shouldn't be but a few drops." The store clerk handed her a mirror to look into. "Do you like them?"

"They're... great."

Tonks chuckled. "She's just a bit shocked, I think. You didn't even cry, though! I'm pretty sure I've even cried over all of mine..."

Elena looked at herself in the mirror, turning her head back and forth. "I like it."

The woman nodded and removed her rubber gloves. "I'll go ring you up at the counter over there."

"I'll go pay." Her father said, walking away with the clerk.

Teddy had been curiously wandering around. He wouldn't admit it, but he was uneasy at the thought of watching his sister. He wasn't good at stomaching blood. Today, his hair was his natural dark brown. It was school policy that students couldn't dye their hair colourfully, so when they went out or had company over, he had to look as plain as possible.

"Are you about ready to go?" His mother asked.

"Yeah."

"I don't see why you couldn't have done this when I was a baby and I wouldn't have to remember it." Elena's voice sounded shaky.

"You sure you don't want your ears pierced?" Tonks asked her son, half-sincere.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, you know I'm equal opportunity." She teased. "Your dad wanted to pierce your ears as a baby and I said we'd have to keep it fair, so here we are."

"Ready to go?" Tonks turned to her husband. Something seemed off with his expression. Her arm snaked around his waist. "Are you feeling bad?"

"Only a bit." He remarked. "Dull headache. Nothing new."

She sighed. "I'll drive if you want-"

"No!" The other three chanted in unison.

"Okay, okay, I get it!" The two had decided that when Teddy started school as a child, it was probably for the best that at least one of them get a driver's license. She kept forgetting to get around to it, letting her husband drive and help her get enough practice hours to pass, but six years later, she failed her driving test due to denting half of the rear bumper.

"I don't think he needs more of a headache." Elena threw in. "Or head trauma."

"Hey," Her mother said in a disappointed voice. "No one's gone to the hospital yet."

"You almost committed accidental manslaughter. On me, your husband.""Or did I?" Tonks nervously laughed.

"You did."

"I got the pedals mixed up, alright! It was just a mistake and I said that I was sorry." Tonks huffed. "Jeez, you guys never give me a break, do you?"

"Nope." Her husband smiled faintly, opening the door for the others. "And you two are sure you've got all your homework finished?"

Teddy shivered and pulled his coat tighter around him. Slippery patches of ice littered the sidewalk where the salt hadn't quite reached. "I have my spelling words to do."

"If you didn't have such a low grade in English, you wouldn't have to practice them everyday." His father chided. Tonks was slippery on her feet and Remus had to hold tightly onto her. The past few years, there had been a running joke that she'd inevitably end up hurting herself before the snow melted away. Last year topped it off when she ended breaking her tailbone.

"I don't see why I've got to do them. I'm going away next year for school anyways."

"How are you supposed to start next year if you fail this one?" Driving a car was easy, figuring out how to unlock the doors without an impatient child nearly breaking off a door handle. "You have to make it to June, and then you'll never have to take another spelling test again."

"What happens if you don't get your letter?" Elena asked, climbing into the car beside her brother. "That's all you ever talk about anymore."

"I dunno." Teddy shrugged. "I'd rather be there than here?"

"But what if they don't want you?" His sister pried.

"Why wouldn't they?"

"I dunno. Why do you want to leave so badly?"

"I'm pretty sure magic is a lot more interesting than maths." Teddy looked over at his parents. "Do you ever feel like you're hiding something?"

"Sure, we do." His mother said. "Don't you remember when you were about five and we had the 'hair accident'? Had to call in aurors at the Ministry to perform memory charms and still had to move schools."

"Yeah. See? It's different at Hogwarts." Teddy said.

"Do they have strict dress codes there too? Or would you be able to change your hair?" Elena asked.

Tonks snorted a laugh. "From what I heard, he'll be just fine."

"I'm tired of wearing hats all the time." Teddy sighed. "I'm tired of having to hide to keep people happy."

"It's less about being happy and more about getting caught." Remus explained, pulling the car out of the parking lot. "What if someone from school saw you outside on a Saturday with blue hair and then on Monday with it brown again?"

Teddy shook his head. "And I hate that counting thing Mum makes me do."

"What? Have you heard of some of the stories we've told you about accidental magic?" Tonks said. "Uncle Harry basically turned his aunt into a giant balloon, Aunt Fleur about tore a store apart, I started a house fire-"

"You did what?" Elena asked.

"Long story. My point is, I know it sucks, but you've got to keep it together, even while you're in school, except things will be a lot easier."

"When will I get my magic?" Elena wondered. Her parents stayed silent and glanced over at each other. "What?"

"It's different for everyone. Some people barely show signs of magic before they get their letter." Remus said in an almost awkward tone. "You've got plenty of time to worry about that."

"But what if I don't get my-"

"Elena, love, it's okay." Her mother said softly. "You've got three years before you even need to think about getting your letter. And you both know that not getting your letters doesn't change anything about what we think about you. Honestly, I think it's pretty selfish with how the entire family seems to care so much about you all getting into Hogwarts."

Most of the ride home was quiet, with the exception of Teddy getting bored and attempting to provoke some sort of response out of his sister while she was reading and their mother having to break them apart.

"Someone take the dog outside please-" Remus huffed, trying to push his way past the family labrador, Lola. His wife had fallen in love with the puppy as soon as she met it, but one year later, the full-sized puppy still tried to jump on people. He was firmly a pronounced cat lover.

"Oh, come here, sweet girl," Elena said in a baby voice. "Come on, Dad's being grumpy, let's take you out back."

Tonks turned to Remus. "Let's get something for your head."

"I'm fine, Dora, really." He tried to wave her off. "Happens all the time now. I'll just go lie down for a bit."

Teddy watched his father disappear down the hall to his parent's room. Elena was standing in the middle of the living room, the dig still jumping on her. "Is Dad okay?" Both children seemed to be looking at their mother for an answer.

She stammered. "Um- I-it's...

"He's just sick, Lena." Teddy butted in. "He's always been sick." Tonks nervously rubbed her hand on the back of her neck. Elena seemed content and ran out into the backyard with the dog. "You haven't had the talk with her yet?"

"What? Oh... that." Tonks shook her head. "It's definitely overdue. She's already older than you were when we sat you down. It's just... it's hard for you all the understand this, I know. It's not something you should have to deal with."

"I handled it fine when I was her age." Teddy remarked. "Why can't she?"

"I don't want Lena to blame her dad for being sick, for one." She shook her head. "You don't need to get involved with this. I'll talk with your father later about it."

Teddy stayed quiet. "Is Dad getting worse?"

"He's almost fifty. You've got to give him some credit." Tonks replied. She unwrapped her scarf. "Most people are severely hindered at his age, if not handicapped by now. I'd say your father has a _minimum_ of ten years ahead of him."

"He can barely write."

"He's got some arthritis. So what?" Teddy shrugged in response. He used the hallway mirror to change his hair to a dark purple. "You know he's leaving his job next year, right?"

Teddy whipped around to see her. "What? Why?"

"Thought he already told you. Nevermind now, I suppose. He's leaving Hogwarts." Tonks announced. "Wants to let you go to school without completely suffocating you."

"Oh." Teddy went quiet. "Right."

"Why? Were you hoping he'd find a way to follow you around the school?" She laughed.

"Uh, no." Teddy rolled his eyes.

"Then I suppose you'd better get on top of that English grade or you'll never hear the end of it!" Tonks called after him, but he'd already disappeared upstairs.


	95. Wands and Fresh Quills

Tonks scanned her eyes over the list again. Little checkmarks rested beside all of the items except one. "We just need to get you a wand."

"I have a question." Teddy asked, balancing several packages in his arms. Today, his hair was a bright lemon colour, and straighter than his messy usual. "It says I'm allowed to have, 'an owl, a cat, or a toad', and-"

"We are _not_ getting any more pets." His father swiftly replied.

"I know, I know, hear me out. What I'm trying to say is, what if I take _Patches-"_

"Over my dead body you're taking my cat with you!" Remus shot back defensively.

Teddy pretended not to smile. _"Your_ cat?"

"Oh don't worry about him," Tonks said, playfully squishing her husband's cheek. "He's just protective of his _little itty bitty baby, isn't he?"_ She cooed in her best baby voice. His face turned bright red.

Ollivander was surprisingly not digging through the heaping piles of wands, but rather was stringing out a long roll of printed receipts, scratching tiny marks on the parchment. He looked up and over the rims of his spectacles, his wrinkled face upturning in a smile. "Ah, Mr. Lupin! I knew I must be seeing you soon enough. Edward, is it?"

"Teddy." The boy said sheepishly.

"Teddy! As yes, just like your grandfather." Ollivander smiled. "I knew Teddy Tonks. Used to be a friend of mine. Shame, what happened to him. He was a great man. But anyways, I presume that its's your turn for a wand, yes?"

Teddy nodded, looking to his parents for reassurance.

"Let's see... your parents are Cypress and Hazel wood, correct? I remember I had to get your mother a new wand just a few years back. Didn't your dogwood wand explode?"

"I've still got the scar." Tonks pointed to a bright white spot on the inside of her palm. "Got hit by such a nasty curse there wasn't any coming back from it."

"Absolute shame." Ollivander shook his head. "I hate seeing people lose their first wands. Everything after that's never quite as good."

The witch laughed. "I think my magic might've even gotten better with my new wand. Hazel's a lot less stubborn than the dogwood."

Ollivander thought for a second. "Let's start with dogwood, then. I'd like to see if you take to it." Tonks took the packages from her son and stuck them under her arm to free up his hands. But the wand hadn't as much as touched Teddy's hand when Ollivander yanked it back and put it into its box. "No, no, no..."

"Did I do something wrong?" Teddy asked his mother in a low voice.

"Nope." She patted him on the arm. "Alright, Elena and I are going to get out of the way and get ice cream."

"Save some for us!" Remus smiled.

"We'll try." Tonks said, leading Elena outside.

"What about this?" Ollivander said, giving the boy another wand. "Give it a little flourish."

Teddy flicked his wrist, sending Ollivander's stack of receipts twirling together in in a flurry of ribbons. He quickly set the wand back down on the counter, folding his hands back politely. "Sorry-"

"Don't apologize, son." Ollivander sighed, picking up the wand. "The wand chooses the wizard, not the other way around. Rarely do I find a wizard who is matched on the first try with their wand. And be glad you're not one of them. They tend to be rather boring people."

The boy went through many more wands testing and trying them. Though as frustrated as he got, Ollivander seemed to keep cool andand collected. "Mr. Ollivander?" Teddy asked shyly. "Have you ever had someone come in who couldn't find a wand that they matched with?"

Ollivander chuckled. "I've had many squibs come in from time to time who look for wands but never have one work for them. Of course, I've recognized all of them for what they were from when they entered my store. Every now and again, someone in my family will spot an extraordinary wizard that's shipped overseas to another wandmaker with a more honed craft." The wandmaker selected a particular wand and handed it to Teddy. "Let's see if this one will take to you."

Teddy held the wand up and swore he could feel it vibrate in his hand. Nervously, he flicked his wrist at the air, gold and silver sparks crackling from the end of it. No one said anything at first, prompting him to look anxiously over at his father, who was smiling. "Is that good?" Teddy asked.

"Quite wonderful! I thought perhaps with your mother taking to dogwood, if you're anything like her, sycamore would take well to you." Ollivander beamed, taking the wand back and returning it to its box, though he didn't take it back to the shelf. He slipped it into a bag. "Remus, I'd say you ought to be quite proud. Sycamore and unicorn hair is a very delicate combination. A very curious wood, you ought to be careful of. Sycamore is very lively, and I've often seen people with those wands go off and create and achieve amazing things. You're not the kind of boy to sit still, are you?" Teddy didn't exactly know what to say.

Tonks and Elena were just a few doors down outside of the ice cream parlour, underneath a brightly coloured umbrella. They were each already digging into their own bowls of ice cream, with two other untouched cups.

"Do you think I'll get put in Teddy's house when I get sorted?" Elena asked curiously.

"Maybe." Her mother shrugged.

"I hope not." Teddy said as he slid into one of the metal chairs.

"Didn't know what to get you, went with chocolate." Tonks announced, sliding a paper cup of chocolate ice cream over to the boy. "And the same for you, Mr. Predictable." She reached out the other cup towards her husband, playfully pulling back at his attempts to take it from her.

"Really? You're going to do this?" She didn't respond, sliding her hand back. Remus paused and stared at her. Tonks bit her lip to keep from laughing before she set it down on the table and nudged it towards him. He accepted it, but he didn't take his eye off of her. Tonks had just finished her own butter pecan when she nudged at him to offer out his free hand.

"What house do you think I'll get put in?" Teddy asked.

Tonks was carefully and methodically massaging and stretching out her husband's hand. "Whichever house best suits you." She mumbled something incoherently.

"Just because _you_ got Hufflepuff, does not mean he will." Remus shot back lightheartedly.

"I'm just saying, it's often probable that children get matched in their parents' houses!" She defended.

"You know, I think he'd make a mighty fine Gryffindor." Remus smiled.

"Or a Ravenclaw, or a Slytherin, or a Hufflepuff." Tonks assured. "Teddy, you'll be great at whatever you choose to do, you know that. And wherever that hat puts you will not define you or your skillset."

"I think Gryffindor would be cool." Teddy remarked. "I'd like to play quidditch there too, just like Uncle Harry-"

"Now we'll have to see about that." Remus flinched.

"Sorry." His wife mumbled. "Maybe your second year you can try out with one of our brooms. Plenty nicer than those at the school. Now those'll send you straight into the ground. But besides that, what position were you imagining?"

"I think chaser would be fun." The boy shrugged.

"Can I try out for quidditch?" Elena asked.

"If you're healthy enough, you can." Remus astutely replied.

"But that would suck if we were in the same house." Teddy said. "I mean, it's not very _fair._ I already have to play pick up games with you, don't I?"

"Teddy, think of it this way," His mother started. "You're both in Gryffindor, hypothetically, and both want to play quidditch. You're three years older than her. You'll get two years playing on the team before you even need to worry about her and by that point, you could be working hard to get captain your sixth year instead of worrying about her."

"You don't even like quidditch." Teddy remarked.

"I do too!" Elena defended.

"What position would you play?" He asked in a taunting voice.

"Seeker." She snapped back. "I think I'd be great at that. I certainly have better eyes than _you-"_

"Okay, you two, that's enough." Remus said. Tonks let go of his hand and he made a flexing motion with his knuckles. "That's far in the future. You have plenty of time to strategize how you'll manage to tear each other apart on the quidditch pitch."

Elena thought carefully. "Why didn't either of you play quidditch?"

"I got kicked after one game, said I was too clumsy for them." Tonks replied.

Remus was more thoughtful. "I don't exactly think I had the build for it. That, and I tried chess club tournaments and lasted two meets because I overslept. After that, I was too embarrassed to show my face, so I stopped going."

Tonks patted her husband on the arm excitedly. "Oh! And they have so much more than quidditch to look forwars to! Their OWLS, the dueling club meets, and I had completely forgotten about the Winter Ball, too! I mean, they won't have to worry about that until they're fifteen, but I remember that was such a good memory when I was there. Technically, it was the Yule Ball then, but they had to change it-"

"Why?" Teddy asked.

His parents exchanged looks. "Perhaps you should ask Uncle Harry about that story, he's probably better at telling it."

"How come he has all the good stories?" Elena asked. "He was fighting giant snakes and trolls and dragons and you dropped out of chess club because you overslept."

Remus chuckled and looked over at his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Hmm, I think mine are a bit less child-friendly."

"Eww," Teddy frowned.

"Well, you see, Uncle Harry says he went out and battled a mountain troll that broke into the school. Are you going to go hike up a mountain to fight a troll? Probably not. However, if I detail how three of my best mates went and broke international wizarding laws... you start getting ideas." Remus remarked.

"What international wizarding laws?" Teddy inquired.

"Exactly." Remus took a bite of his ice cream.

"I don't really remember a lot of the second semester of my sixth year, but I think that's a different kind of not child-frendliness." Tonks said curiously. Her husband chuckled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "No seriously, I have no idea how I wasn't expelled for excessive tardiness. Did I ever tell you that was the only time Nana sent me a howler?"

Elena shook her head. "You said she only sent you two."

"Oh yeah," Tonks shook her head. "The other time... the other time Nana sent me one after my third detention or something. I think it was an attempt to scare me into being good or something." She gave a small laugh.

"You two think we won't send you howlers if we need to?" Remus asked.

"Dad, you wouldn't..." Elena whined. "That would be so awful!"

"That's the whole point!" Her father smiled. "Oh come on, I even got a few myself growing up. I think one may have been for assisting in cheating... actually I think all of them were. I got caught cheating a lot."

"Cheating? But I thought you were a good student or something." Teddy pointed out.

"Oh, I was. It was assisting in cheating more than actually cheating off someone else." He shook his head, his eyes staring up like he was remembering a long-forgotten memory. "Just... save us all the grief and do as we say, and not as we do, okay?"


	96. Sorted Out

"You're sure you've got everything, Teddy? You double checked at the house and all?" Tonks asked worriedly as she smoothed over her son's jacket. "Nothing else you can think of?"

"Yeah, I think so." He nodded. He was proudly wearing curly blue hair. "I mean, no, I've got everything."

Her arms wrapped around her son. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mum." The boy awkwardly let her hug him. "And... Dad." His put his arm around his father.

"And we're going to write to you once a week, like we had talked about." Tonks mentioned.

"You're going to write to me too, right?" Elena asked her brother.

Teddy nodded and went to hug her. "Of course I will."

"Don't you think you'll get homesick?" She asked.

"Oh, give him a week and he'll forget all about us." Tonks teased.

"You won't." Elena said firmly. "Promise you won't?"

"She's kidding." Teddy laughed, messing up her hair.

"Hey!" The girl scoffed, shoving him back. She anxiously smoothed out her hair. "You'd better go. They might decide to leave you and then you'll be here 'til Christmas..."

"I think something like that happened to Uncle Harry once, and he-"

"Okay! That's enough, neither of you need any of that influence from him." Remus hurried the boy along.

"We'll be seeing you at Christmas then." His mother said, trying to keep from choking up. "Love you!"

"Bye." Teddy smiled and waved as he disappeared in the crowd of kids rushing onto the train. "Don't go through my stuff!"

Tonks covered her mouth with her hand. Remus put his hand on her shoulder before rubbing her back. He smiled. The scarlet train whistled and steam filled the air as it pulled out of the station."He's going to be okay, Dor. He can handle himself fine."

"Yeah." She choked back her tears. Remus kissed the top of her head as they turned and left the platform. "It's just... three more years and _Lena's going to be gone..._ and _seven more years,_ he's going to _grow up_ and be _an adult_ and _move out_ and then _Lena will..."_ She made lively gestures with her hands as they walked.

"You've still got _me."_ Elena pushed herself between them, wrapping her arms around each of her parents.

Her father let out an overdramatic sigh. "Oh, _unfortunately."_ He squeezed her shoulder in a hug. "I feel like you're both growing up much too fast for us."

"When are we going to get Teddy's letter?" Tonks asked.

"They're typically sent out around seven o'clock. We might not get it until eight." Remus said. "After dinner."

"Are Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and the kids coming over?" Elena wondered.

"Harry said he would try to come, but he wasn't sure about Ginny and the kids." Tonks told her. She sighed. "He really did want to be here to see him off. I know he really cared, trying to get his hours switched and all."

"And we'll know what house Teddy's in?"

"Yes, we will." Remus told her.

"I really hope he gets Gryffindor. I know he's had his heart set on it." Elena said.

"I'm sure he'll do wonderful in any of the houses." Her father assured. "Now, you do remember what you're supposed to tell people when they ask where he went, right?"

"He went to stay with our Nana on the other side of the country and go to some private school."

"And the less you know, the better." He reminded.

Teddy couldn't help but stare out the window, watching as trees and fields hurried past. His compartment was empty, with the exception of a boy across from him. The two hadn't talked, with the exception that the boy had asked if he could sit next to Teddy. He laid his head on his arm that was leaning on the windowsill.

Teddy was beginning to drift off to sleep when he heard a heavy book fall in the floor. He raised his head and looked over at the boy, who was in the floor, picking up his book. "Sorry!" He mumbled, pulling his shirt down as he climbed back up into his seat.

"It's cool." Teddy said, watching him.

The boy stared at him with his mouth open. "I like your hair."

"Oh, er, thanks. I'm Teddy, by the way." Teddy replied. He looked over at the window and combed his fingers through his hair anxiously.

"Oh, I'm Myles." The boy said. He had short blonde hair and was considerably bigger than Teddy, though he seemed about the same age. He didn't exactly have a demeaning or intimidating presence, in fact, he seemed rather timid. Big, wire framed glasses sat on his round cheeks, and the boy was constantly having to get them to stay put.

"Are you a first year, too?" Teddy asked.

"Yeah." Myles heaved a nervous sigh. "Are you?"

"Yeah. Do you know what house you think you'll be in?"

"I, um..." Myles shook his head. "I don't really get it."

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked.

"Well, I don't really get the... the houses?"

"Oh. Are you a muggleborn?"

"I think so?"

Teddy stared at him with bewilderment. "You... you're not sure, then?"

The other boy shook his head. "Dunno," He shrugged. "Wake up one day and all of a sudden these people are coming in my front room, talking about magic and my mum just sort of went along with it."

Teddy couldn't help but sort of smile. "Yeah, it's kind of weird. Can't say I completely relate, though. Both my mum and dad can do magic."

"Oh, so... what does that make you?" Myles posed.

"Dunno. Half-blood, I think. Doesn't really matter in the end though." Teddy shrugged. "Magic's magic. Don't worry about whatever anyone says. It's about your skill, not how long you've known it's existed. Just wait 'til you see quidditch."

"The what?"

"It's a sport. Everyone's on broomsticks trying to hit each other or throw a ball through a hoop."

That made Myles laugh. "At least it beats running in gym class."

"Oh, and it's not timed, so sometimes, it lasts for days too. One of my Mum's friends was actually a professional for this big league girl's team the Holyhead Harpies." The two boys sat for a while discussing the ins and outs of quidditch. Myles had far from been well informed about what to expect upon arriving at school. It didn't really matter what Teddy said about magic, Myles was eagar to listen, and Teddy was eagar to talk. From quidditch to tournaments to Teddy's favourite teams. "I actually got to see a big game this summer with my dad. My parents got me some tickets last Christmas."

"I don't think I've ever actually liked sports until now." Myles remarked.

"What kind of stuff _do_ you like?" Teddy asked curiously.

"Do you play any video games?"

"I've played with some of my friends back home. We... sort of don't have a tv."

Myles's eyes got big. "Wait, really?"

Teddy chuckled. "The most technical thing we have at our house is a microwave. Actually, we have a car, but I think my mum's an equal threat with either. She's still learning. I don't think we'd be ready for something like a television."

"Oh, well, I guess I thought everyone had a tv, or you know, people who could have one. So... you don't have a telephone or anything at all?"

Teddy shook his head. "I guess I'm lucky, though. Mum said a lot more young people understand muggle stuff. After the war-"

"Wait, which war?" Myles asked. "I think I heard something about a war. When the people came in from the-the Ministry, right? They said that I had to look out because of it. That people might pick on me or something because my parents are muggles."

Teddy felt a knot in his stomach. "Yeah. There've been people... who... they don't really like muggles and muggleborns?"

"Oh." Myles frowned. "And is that... something... a lot of people...?"

"No! No." Teddy quickly shook his head. "No, you're normal. Just don't worry about if some people just... suck about it, okay? I think you seem pretty cool."

Myles burst out laughing. "That's something I didn't think I'd be hearing today."

"Just don't think about all that crap." Teddy assured him. "Okay?"

Myles nodded. "Thanks."

The afternoon went by slower than the Lupins had wanted. Elena was bored waiting for dinner, almost as if it was Christmas.

"It's probably going to be closer to your bedtime before his letter gets here." Remus explained. "He's probably not even off the train yet."

"But you said I could see what house he's in with you." The girl complained.

"We did say that." Tonks reminded her husband.

"It's still a school night." Remus reminded her.

"Have you got all of your homework finished, love?" Her mother asked. Elena nodded. "I think you can probably stay up this one time then."

Someone knocked on the front door. Remus got up and went to answer it, talking with the guest returned with him. "Hey, Ms. Lena Bo Bena." Harry smiled, giving her a hug.

"There's plenty of food still on the stove, if you're hungry." Tonks told him. "And I don't get a hug?"

Harry walked around the table and put his arm around her. "Hey, Tonks. It's good the see you." He mumbled. "I know I haven't really been around much for the kids. We've had our own little two tornados to take care of back at home."

"Don't envy you there." Tonks remarked. "How is Ginny, by the way? Is she going back to work soon?"

"Hopefully." He smiled, wandering into the kitchen in search for food. "She was worried when we found out Lily was a girl, but she's absolutely smitten with that baby."

"And how are the boys?"

"Absolutely wonderful." Harry remarked. "I'm sorry, again. I wish I could be more apart of your lives. I always wanted to be involved with my godkids, kind of like Sirius was, but..."

"Harry, you're fine." Remus assured.

"But I think I should be more involved with them." Harry said, patting Elena on the shoulder. "You two were my kids first."

"Don't stress it, Potter." Tonks teased, pointing to an empty chair at the table. "Just sit and eat. You probably didn't get a good meal today, did you?"

He shook his head. "Had me out in the freezing rain earlier. Didn't get to sit down for a good four hours."

"Ooh," Tonks winced. "Sorry that they're being stupid again."

He shrugged, before giving her a smile. "Maybe you should boss them around a bit. They might actually listen to you."

She laughed. "Honestly, you give me too much credit."

"Come on! You survived the war, made it this long, and you think they aren't impressed? They'll listen to you."

"My bitching-" Elena looked over at her mother curiously. Tonks reached over and covered the sides of her head. "My bitching hasn't done much over the years." She let go of the girl.

"They're going to promote you, you know." The younger auror tells her.

Tonks shook her head. "I can only wish."

There was a knockin on the window and a brown owl hopped onto the windowsill, a yellow envelope in its beak. Remus plucked a piece of chicken from his plate and the owl took it in exchange for the letter before flying off. Not far behind, the dog came over to the table to beg for food.

"Patches, goddamn it, get off the table!" Tonks was fighting an angry cat off the table. "Do you want to open it or me?"

"We didn't decide, did we?" Remus asked. "Elena, we said however got to open Teddy's letter, the other one would get yours." The two exchanged looks. He held the letter out to his wife.

"You open it." She stated.

"You're sure? You want to see Elena's house?"

"Positive." She nodded. Hesitantly, he tore the letter open. It was short and it didn't take him but a second to read over it. He covered his mouth. "What's it say? Read it aloud."

He was still covering up his expression. "To the parents or guardians of Mr. Edward Lupin, we here at Hogwarts wish to congratulate your family on his successful sorting into," His eyes turned up to his wife. "Hufflepuff."

Her hands clasped over her own mouth. "No, you're kidding!" She laughed. "Oh my gosh..."

Remus smiled back and nodded. "Looks like you were right all along, then."


	97. The Talk

**AN: Sorry for the slow updates. And while I do love reading my reviews, please don't feel obligated to write them. I'll try to post updates as quickly as I can, but thank you so much anyways :)**

Remus wasn't sure if it was an absolute blessing or an absolute burden to get older. He was still considered in what was considered the "early stage" of lycanthropy. In his adolescence, he thought he had it bad with the monthly muscle spasms and the uncontrollable cycle of clawing and scarring. In his twenties and thirties, and even early forties, his gashes and aches were slowly beating him down. More and more often, he was bedridden with a fever. Now, he noticed it was like he was getting the flu--or at least what he thought the flu must feel like, given the fact he had only experienced it once for less than about the twelve hours it took for the potion to work--for days before and after the full moon, and he couldn't stand the fact that he out of it so often. At least now, he wasn't waking up at the crack of dawn to teach.

His wife was already awake. He couldn't quite remember if she had to work today, or if did, if she was going. What were they going to do, fire her? Remus rolled over onto his back, coughing. It was dry, but coarse and painful as he tried to catch his breath.

"You sound like shit." A voice across the room chimed.

"Why thank you, my darling." Remus cleared his throat. The scratching at the back of his throat kept creeping back. "Your kind words always warm me right in the-- heart." He gasped in an effort to fill up his lungs.

Blinking his eyes open, he saw his wife climbing back into bed with a glass of water in her hand. "Here, let me help you." She tried to help him sit up, but he refused.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." He murmured, taking the glass from her. Tonks leaned over and kissed his temple. "Thank you, though."

"You're burning up." She announced. "You need to take something before this gets out of control."

"Like it's not going to anyway?" Remus remarked.

"Quit being so snarky." His wife replied. "Or cynical, I can't tell which."

Remus couldn't help but smirk. "Or what?"

Tonks gave an equally eerie smile, leaning over, and kissing him. "You can't just spend your whole life wallowing in your own death, no matter how much morbid humour you try to hide it behind."

He nodded. "Right."

"We've got to get some breakfast in you before we can try and get your fever down." She leaned across his lap and kissed him again. "Now, are you getting up or am I going to have to bring it to you?" She teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, if only you'd be so kind..."

Suddenly, they were interrupted when the door creaked open. A face peered inside from the hallway. "Lena?" Tonks said. "You're up awfully early."

"Can I come get in bed with you?" The girl asked, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest.

"I think we were just about to get up, but I'm sure we could stay a few minutes." Her mother replied. She sunk into the mattress, patting the spot in between her and her husband. "Did you have a bad dream?" Elena shook her head.

The girl jumped up onto the bed and crawled over to her mother, climbing under the blanket and snuggling up against her mother. "I miss Teddy." She announced.

"I miss him too, hon." Tonks replied, combing through the girl's hair with her fingers. "He's probably getting ready to go to breakfast. And he's probably making friends already. Speaking of, I could go for so-"

She was cut off when Remus began another coughing spell, hunched over the side of the bed. The girl looked to her mother with concern. "Mum, is he okay?"

"Remus, are you alright?" Tonks asked, reaching over, and touching his arm. He nodded, his face turning red as he kept coughing. "Remus?"

"I'll- I'll be okay." He assured.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked, darting between her parents for a response.

"It's...complicated, love." Tonks sat up. "Actually, it's probably about time we have a talk."

Elena's face flushed with embarrassment. "Oh no."

"Oh no, what?" Her mother asked.

"You're bad at 'talks'." Elena explained. "The last time we had a 'talk', my goldfish died."

"I know." She replied. Remus was beginning to recuperate, reclining back against the pillows. "Are you okay?"

"I'm good." Remus nodded.

Tonks continued to pry. "Are you sure? Because-"

"I'm good, really." He reinforced. "Elena, your mother's right. This is something that we've been long overdue with explaining."

The girl continued to look confused. "What haven't you told me?"

Tonks rubbed the girl's hands. She talked slowly and painfully, hesitating with every word. "The reason we kept quiet... about this _... issue..._ is, we didn't want you to either get sickly fascinated with this problem, nor did we want you to... _villianize_ your father. And the same was with your brother."

Elena looked over at her father. "Dad, what's wrong?"

Tonks sighed. Remus wouldn't look at either of them and instead, appeared to stare at nothing. "Do you know how... how Dad's sick, and how... he's tired and got a headache and all that? And how... sometimes he goes away for the night to the hospital?"

The girl didn't say anything. Remus's face had gone pale and he practically had to unlatch his jaw to speak. "Elena, I'm... I'm a werewolf." He painfully spit out. Elena stared at him fearfully and silently. "I-I know that this is..." He didn't finish his statement.

Elena still didn't reply at first. Growing up in a magical house meant she had spent her whole life surrounded with stories of magic, and of all sorts of the fantastical creatures that came along with it. She saw for herself what magic could do and she had grown up on stories of how people, good and bad, had used it. She saw how her Aunt Fleur's charismatic nature could as much as turn her head the right way and get people's attention. She saw her mother and her brother and their ability to bring joy to people, or how her mother, no matter how intimidating, could impersonate people to suade people to confess things. But to hear him say that felt like something was terribly wrong.

"This isn't real, right? This is a joke?" Her parents exchanged glances. "Mum? Dad? Can you say something? Please?"

"Lena, I'm... I'm so sorry." Remus finally turned his head to look at his daughter. "When we told Teddy-"

"Teddy knew? And not me? How come I didn't get to know!"

"You weren't old enough to understand." Her mother threw in quickly. "We were just... waiting to tell you. And your brother didn't handle it well, either."

"But _he_ was old enough to understand? You never tell me _anything!"_ Elena's voice filled with fury.

"We weren't going to _not_ tell you." Remus added. His eyes were searching his daughter's. His heart began sinking when he saw how much fear was in her eyes. "We love you and we care about you, but we had to protect you long enough to grow up."

"Does _everyone_ know? What were you protecting me from?"

Of course Elena knew what a werewolf was. Or at least, she thought she did. It was someone who could turn into a wolf and bit them and change them, too. But since when did that mean that people got physically sick?

Remus's mouth hung open. "Elena, this is... this is going to be terminal. I'm not exactly sure if you understand what that means."

She didn't. Tonks held the girl's hand. "What happens is... when someone's a werewolf, their body has to undergo changing comepletely into a wolf and back once a month. All their bones, their muscles, their organs has to become non-human and then back again. And after a while, it wears down on people's bodies. They... sometimes they don't live as long as everyone else."

"It's not immediate. I've still got plenty of years left before any of that, it just wears me out." Remus told her. "It gets harder, but that doesn't mean I'm going into the ground in the next ten years or so." Elena refused to respond.

"He's had it your whole life and most of his own. It's not contagious unless you get bitten. And he's perfectly safe otherwise." Tonks quickly cut in. "You do know that, right?"

"How can he be perfectly safe if he's _dying?"_ Elena demanded.

"I'm not dying, Elena."

"You just said you were!"

"What we're trying to say is that this will _eventually_ wear him down, this isn't anytime soon, love."

Elena didn't look at either of them. She couldn't. She fell over into her mother's lap silently. Tonks gently stroked her hair. The girl was frightened and tried to push herself closer to her mother and farther from Remus.

Remus's face became distraught. He looked to his wife for her response, but surprisingly, she looked rather unfazed. Elena said something incomprehensible towards he mother.

"Elena, nothing's going to change. Nothing's different now, and nothing's going to change right away." Tonks reassured. "We told you because we wanted you to be old enough that you could understand that this doesn't make your father a bad person. Being a werewolf doesn't make anyone an inherently bad person. Dad's not going to be a different person now that you know the truth."

The girl hid her face, but her mother was being patient with her. She regretted not being as patient at first with her son. When it came time to explain what was going on to him, her instinct had been to be insistant on what he thought without giving him time to process what he was being told. Teddy became resilient towards his father for a while. It didn't last long, and he quickly flopped to the polar opposite of fascination, but it did cause a while where there was fighting. Teddy had at least refrained from telling his sister what was going on, which Tonks wasn't sure if she was thankful or not for.

"Are you going to be okay?" She pried. "Tell me what you're thinking."

"It's not fair." Elena said simply.

Her mother didn't exactly know what that meant. "I know, it's not."

xxxxx

Elena had a textbook sprawled across her lap and was busy reading it throughout breakfast. Remus kept looking over at her, but Elena didn't look up. Instead, she furiously continued studying. "Test today?"

The girl dodged the question. "Can I go to a friend's house tonight?"

"What do you mean? Like... an overnight stay?" He asked.

"Yeah, sort of. Is... that okay?"

He looked the girl up and down and sighed. "I'll need to talk to your mother." Remus picked up an orange bottle off the counter and looked at the contents. "I'll need to pick you up some more pills. You've been taking your medicine, yes?"

"Yes, Sir. Please, it's just an overnight stay. All my friends are going, and I never get to have sleepovers, and-"

Remus gave her a skeptical look. "Which of your friends?"

"Samantha, and Anna, and her sister..." Elena huffed. She could tell he was making a face even if she didn't see it. "Why do you hate my friends?"

"I don't hate your friends, love." He said bluntly. "But I'm worried because of how they treat you."

"But they treat me fine."

"Lena, I'm really not so sure. Some of the things that you've said have happened concerned me." Remus explained. "Your friends just... don't seem so friendly."

"They're just messing around." Elena said defensively.

"You don't really remember, do you?" Remus asked. "I mean, you don't the day that girl hit you? Or when they made up some... _game_ and left you at the park with your eyes closed?"

"It was a joke." He stared at his daughter. "And Samantha apologized, it was a misunderstanding. She thought I threw something at her first!"

"And are you just going to let people hit you because they _say_ you hit them first? Are you going to sit around for hours on end by yourself until someone has to come and get you?"

"It wasn't like that-"

"Elena, I'm just not sure I'm comfortable with you spending the night with a bunch of girls that've hurt you." He finally threw up his hands. "You know what, I dunno. Go ask your mother."

Elena looked angrily up at him. He was poking around the medicine cabinet. Come to think of it, this _had been_ more routine than she had thought. He might have _always_ been ill, but there was a pattern she had never picked up on. "Is your medicine... like mine?"

"No." He replied simply, examining his morning dose of Wolfbane potion. "Yours is muggle. It's to keep your blood from just... bleeding out. Mine is a potion to keep me from losing my head when I'm transforming."

That word didn't feel right to her when he said it. "Was I supposed to be a werewolf? Is that why I'm sick?"

"No. We've often thought you would have been sick anyway, or it was because you were born so early." Remus replied. The taste of the potion never seemed to grow on him.

"Can people be born werewolves or do you have to be bitten?" Elena wondered.

"No one's ever been born a werewolf." He told her bluntly.

She imagined all the possibilities of him going to the hospital while he changed. Did they lock him in a room? Did he have to be chained up,? Was he violent, or perfectly calm after he changed? "So you were bitten?"

"I was about five when it happened." Remus walked over to her and rolled up his sleeve to show her the scar. "It's amazing how you can hardly even see it anymore."

"Have you ever bitten anyone?" His daughter inquired.

Remus didn't want to answer anymore questions.


	98. At Least It's Not Raining

Myles Gauthier-Birch was very fidgety through his first class at Hogwarts. It all seemed well at first, too. He could find his common room and he could find the Great Hall. The staircases were a different story, but that was a bridge to cross when he got there. The dungeons seemed to be cool, yet he found himself anxiously sweating. He kept adjusting and readjusting the collar of his shirt and his tie. Unlike his desk mate, his tie was silver and green to match his robes.

Teddy, whom Myles had flocked to as soon as he heard they were sharing a class, had insisted on trying to get a seat in the front, but Myles was much less enthused about being visible to everyone. He was disappointed the night before aboabout being seperated from the only familiar face he knew, but he wasn't going to vocalize it.

"Nervous much?" Teddy asked, trying to raise his spirits. Myles shrugged, his face bright pink. "Come on, it's not going to be that scary."

"I'm sure you've at least done magic before." The other boy replied. "Waved a wand or whatever."

"I mean, yeah, when I'm not thinking about it, but-"

The door opened to the classroom and all of the student's voices died down. The professor walked to the front of the classroom and opened a textbook. "Good morning, class." The professor smiled faintly. He was older and cushiony, with sagging skin on his face. Myles easily recognized him as the head of his house. "And welcome, not only to my class but to Hogwarts, itself. For those of you who don't have me as your Head of House, my name is Professor Slughorn. In this class, you're going to be studying potions, how to make them, what their purposes are, and why they are important and used in our society."

Myles was playing with corner of the piece of parchment in front of him. It had a list of words that made little to no sense... stewed mandrake, billywig sting, bat eyes, pickled slugs, deangon's blood, aeromantula venom... were these really ethical?

"In front of each of you is a copy of all of the potions ingredients you will be using during the duration of your time at school. Should you happen to get any of them confused during potion making, the end results, well, could be catastrophic if not deadly, which is why you all will be memorizing them. Each year, you will be receiving such a list should you lose the previous year's. And to help you remember how to identify these ingredients, each week, you will be tested on them." The were a few groans from the students. "Now, before you become too upset, I wish to inform you that these grades won't impact your overall grade unless you choose to refuse to study and do atrocious on over half of them."

Myles was utterly overwhelmed already. Some ingredients even had more than one name! Professor Slughorn continued. "Next Friday's quiz will be over the ingredients A through H, with an example of a potion that they are used in, and the function of the potion." How was he supposed to know what potions they were used for? "Until then, we will briefly be discussing each ingredient and I will give you several examples of potions for you to choose from on your quizzes."

Students scrambled for their notebooks and quills. Myles counted up each ingredient. There was easily one hundred words there, just for the next week! He looked to his desk mate for reassurance. Teddy didn't look up, instead Teddy was listening as intently as possible to the professor speak.

Professor Slughorn flicked his wand at a chalkboard and words began writing. "The first ingredient on your list is Aconite. Could anyone make a guess as to what that is?"

Teddy's eyes quickly scanned down to the page and his hand raised. Professor Slughorn looked over to him and nodded. "Doesn't it... doesn't go by Wolfbane, or, rather, Monkshood?"

"Very good." The teach replied. "And what is your name exactly?"

"Teddy, Sir." Professor Slughorn turned to his roster sheet. "Well, it says Edward, but I go by Teddy."

The professor's eyes dropped to Teddy, frowning. "Ah, yes. Thank you, Mr. Lupin. Ten points to Hufflepuff. Anyways, we know that aconite can be used in Wideye or Awakening Potions, which has the function of awaking the sleeping or keeping one awake..."

A dark haired girl with green robes in the row in front of them turned quickly in her seat to face their desk, her eyes locked on Teddy. "Lupin? Aren't you that one werewolf's kid?"

The freckled boy next to her turned around as well. Something was making him laugh. "Yeah, didn't your dad get fired last year?"

Teddy stared at the girl. "Shouldn't you be listening? You'd think with a head as big as yours the words wouldn't just go in one ear and fly out your other."

The two Slytherins stared at him in disbelief and turned back to the front of the class. The girl raised her hand, but Professor Slughorn didn't call on her. "Professor, he was-"

"You in the back, if I could ask you to please stop talking unless you'd rather prefer to skip class today?" He remarked. "As I was saying, Alihotsy is a fine ingredient used in laughing potions. I'm sure Professor Binns will tell you the tragic story of what happened to Minister Tuft, relating to the potion. Next, we have Ammoniacum is known..."

Teddy slumped down into his seat. Myles couldn't concentrate on the lesson, while Teddy seemed to only be focused on it. Myles sat with his mouth open, confused. He had wanted to speak up or say anything to comfort his friend, but he wasn't sure how to handle the situation. What was he supposed to compare this to? In his mind, he wasn't exactly sure if being sentenced as a werewolf was more like having cancer or having had murdered someone. Either way, something didn't sit right with him.

Teddy didn't want to talk the rest of class. He wanted to gather his things and leave for Charms the second the bell rang. Textbook is one arm, bag slung over his shoulder, he was making his way to the door after the bell when he heard his name being called.

"Professor?" He turned and walked back to the teacher's desk, standing awkwardly. "Am I in trouble for talking? I'm really sorry, I-"

Professor Slughorn laughed. "No need to worry, my boy. Just don't be making a habit of it." Teddy was surprised by the man's lack of discipline. "Actually, I was hoping that you'd join me in my office the Friday for dinner. I'm having a bit of a party. There's going to be students from all houses and ages. It's just a little thing I like to do every now and again..."

Teddy swallowed nervously. "Uh, yeah, sure?"

"Spledid!" Slughorn nodded. "I'll be puttinf your name on the list then. Edward, was it?"

"Teddy." The boy nodded.

"Teddy, yes." Slughorn nodded and Teddy tried to escape back out of the classroom. "And send my well wishes to your father, won't you! I'm very sorry that you had to handle that situation, but I'm afraid that'll only be the begin-"

"Yes, Sir." The boy cut him off. He didn't want to half to explain that the only reason he knew the answer was because he had looked looked it up, but the face that Slughorn made when he found out who Teddy really was burned into his eyelids. All he wanted was to get as far away as possible, literally and mentally.

Myles was lingering in the hallway with his schedule in his hand. He turned to his friend. "Everything cool?"

Teddy wasn't listening. "Huh?"

"With Slughorn?" Myles pressed. He shook his head. "I've got Charms next. What about you?"

"Transfiguration. Sorry." Teddy didn't say anything else. "Hey, catch you after lunch, alright?" He left Myles to figure out how to get to the third floor.

Teddy took a wrong turn and found himself walking across the wrong courtyard. Students were clearing out into their classes and common rooms and Teddy was still very lost. The bell rang and he was left alone in the empty hallway.

"You'd better hurry on up, son, or you'll have a long list of detentions in front of you." A raspy voice said. Teddy jumped and saw it was one of the portraits hanging in the corridor talking to him.

"Yeah, thanks." Teddy remarked. He stopped, sighed, and turned back around. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

The next morning at breakfast, the sleepinesleepiness Teddy had been begging for the past two nights had struck him. Since he was a kid, he had always had bad luck trying to sleep anywhere but his own bed and with all the excitement about school, sleep didn't come easily. He wasn't hungry either, which seemed to be a first. He tried to force himself to drink orange juice and eat toast, but the thought alone was hard to swallow. He kept checking and rechecking his schedule, which he was sure he had memorized by now, but to make sure, he'd look again.

His roommates weren't bad. Teddy couldn't remember all their names, but one was named Daniel, and he was certain another was named Owen, but it didn't matter. What he was more worried about was getting to his classes on time. He didn't seem to be the only first year with that problem and the teachers were being gracious, for nnow at least. But with the staircases literally changing anytime someone got on one, how were they supposed to memorize their daily routine? There were too many hallways, staircases, landings for the staircases, and floors to keep up without the magic. He could barely keep the towers straight.

The morning mail came in and owls dropped off letters and packages to students. Teddy suddenly felt guilty that his first course of action at school wasn't to write his sister. Sure, she was easily the most annoying and brattiest person to ever grace the Earth, and wad easily spoiled with attention by their parents if she as much as sneezed, but she was his sister, for crying out loud and she would have loved to know all about the train ride and the sorting and school... which he only hoped wouldn't cause her to be on his heels in two and a half more years. It was only fun to suffocate and annoy a sibling if you were on the giving end. Suffocating and annoying aside, she probably could've been worse. She could've shared a room with him.

Except he didn't get any letters from his parents or sister (not that he was expecting one, given that they had sent on on his first day). Instead, he recognized a snowy white owl drop off a package at his placemat. He couldn't help but smile. His Uncle Harry had always had a love for white owls and there was something about the unexpected package that excited Teddy. It wasn't very big, but he opened it to find... school supplies.

 _Ginny and I promised we'd cover some of your school costs. (Your mum actually threatened me to not spend too much money on you, so let this be a surprise.) We know how pricey it can get even with just one kid. Don't worry though! Quills and ink might seem boring now, but you might find that you need them down the road during class. I suppose you'd rather never run out than never have enough! Anyways, hope Hogwarts treats you well! Congratulations on getting Hufflepuff!_ _P . S . enclosed in the envelope is parchment. It is absolutely NOT for writing on. Best of luck._

 _Uncle Harry_

Justnlike he had said, there were quills, jars of ink, parchment, and an envelope. Teddy had to hand it to him. Growing up famous and all certainly messed him up a bit, but it was more than a bit unusual for him to leave cryptic messages at the bottom of letters. He took the parchment of of the envelope and examined it. It looked old, wrinkled, and folded over, but definitely not special. He dropped it back into the wrappings of the package and stuffed it in his bag. Whatever this was about, Teddy at least hoped he'd be getting nice dress robes one day. Or at least sweets.


	99. Old and New Friends

Tonks kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Remus, make sure you go by the school and tell them that she's sick again. I don't want her having to go eat lunch by herself again." Elena sniffled. Every now and again, something inside of her flared up and she had to take a day or two off. Today was the beginning of that sickness. She was picking at her breakfast and had tissues stuck up inside of her bleeding nose. "Get some rest, sweetheart. Hopefully this'll all blow over by the end of the week."

Remus pecked his wife on the cheek. "Do you need anything while I'm out?"

"I think I'm good." She said. "Just don't forget about the school, _please_ , she'll get counted for skipping and I'll have to go to a parent teacher meeting and-"

"Have fun at work!" He announced.

Eyebrows raised, she pressed her finger against his chest. "I'm serious. _Remember to go to the school."_ She warned through gritted teeth.

Elena watched and laughed to herself over her cereal.

"I love you and I will remember to go to the school." Remus said, playfully pulling her back into a hug. "See you tonight, alright?"

"I have to _go!"_ She whined, letting him hold onto her. "I'm already running behind and it's Margaret's birthday!" He made a point to kiss her one last time before she hurried out the door.

"Mornin'." A voice chimed the second she made her way through the door. It was a more somber greeting than usual.

Tonks waved her hand as an avoidant gesture to the man at the desk across from hers. Today was too important to waste time on small talk. First, she had to finish the closing paperwork for a case involving a man who had set off magical fireworks inside of a muggle shopping plaza, causing not only a disturbance that took almost two days to calm, but three injuries, and a public intoxication and an indecent exposure count on the offender's record. Secondly, today wasn't supposed to be her rotation as a court appointed representative until an auror backed out due to personal reasons. And on top of it all, she had been put in charge of remembering Margaret's birthday, because no one else had wanted to.

"Hey, ca' we talk?" Dwight asked quietly.

Tonks looked up at him and was brought to a screeching halt. Suddenly, she was struck with the fact that all of his stuff had been cleared away, leaving his desk and wall empty. "What's up?" She asked.

He blinked, looking away from her. He always did that when he was thinking about something important. Now, with a pale, almost white glass eye in one of his sockets, it was more difficult. Not literally, since the eye was smooth and could easily maneuver, but because he had never gotten used to the feel of it. "I'm gettin' moved."

"Moved." Tonks repeated. "Moved where to?"

"Diff'rent floor." He said bluntly. "I go' offered some bett'r pay if I went an' worked wit' Magical Secrecy."

"It's definitely safer there." Tonks said awkwardly. He nodded quietly and Tonks began to tear up.

"Hey now, none o' tha', alrigh'?" Dwight replied. "It's no' like ya can't never see me again." He wasn't usually much of a hugger, but he welcomed her with open arms. Going to him was always sort of awkward with his height. "It's been a good run here, ya know?"

She nodded. "This is just so sudden..."

The other auror chuckled. "Nah, I known for a good few weeks, I jus' didn' want ya to worry too much about me."

"Dwight!" Tonks punched his arm, leaving him recoiling. They both let out a sigh. "So I guess you cleared this with your wife and all?"

He nodded. "She's happy. I'm happy."

Tonks felt a punch in her gut. _He's not being completely honest..._ A voice in her head told her. "So... that's it then? Who's getting your desk once you're gone? I guess I'm getting a different senior officer?"

"Yer gettin' Potter, I think."

"Oh." That seemed to cheer her up at least a little bit. "Still, ten years we've been together. It's hard to imagine anyone else hanging around."

"Oh, c'mon, like yer not in line fer promotion."

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Seems like that's what everyone's saying..."

"Cause it's true! They ain't keepin' you around fer nothin' after all these years."

"Yeah, I bet." She remarked dryly. "So this is goodbye, I guess?"

"Wha'? Like an elevator's gonna stop me from annoying tha livin' shite outta you?" Dwight chuckled.

"It better not." Tonks remarked. She gave him a final hug. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Are _you?"_ He shot back in a teasing voice. "Ya almost sound like yer aboutta start cryin'."

"Shut up!" She was already crying.

"Don' worry. I'm sure you an' Potter'll get along fine."

"Yeah, but you've been here for everything, haven't you? I mean, all of my kids, a dragon, _and_ that time I got a concussion after that one party..."

He snorted with laughter. "It's hard ta forget tha' one. I mean, you went _straigh' back_ down tha' railing."

 _"Hey,"_ She tried to fake a stern voice. "I think Remus yelled at me for _three days_ after that mess blew over."

"It was pretty funny." He smirked. "An' I know your kid's still mad I missed her birthday."

"She's my girl." Tonks grinned. "She will fight you over that, you mark my words. Better be seeing you at Christmas this year."

They had a final awkward hug. Several people stopped him as he tried to leave the office and he had to say several more goodbyes. He caught his friend's eye and smiled before walking into the elevator to leave.

xxxxx

Teddy was awkwardly crowded together next to several of his housemates. It had occured to him that he was the youngest one there and he didn't know anyone. At first, the only familiar face he truly recognized was one seventh year Hufflepuff quidditch player. Now, almost halfway through the year, the faces became more familiar. Likeable? Teddy wasn't quite convinced.

Of the people in the so called "Slug Club", he didn't quite understand why he had been picked. At least four people were quidditch players, two of them being the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor captains. One boy's parents were known post-war philanthropists. Another boy had a sister who was recently awarded because of her experience as a healer in St. Mungo's. One kid that Teddy knew of had a decorated war veteran parent just like him, but he wasn't sure who it was. One girl's aunt was a well-known robe designer.

He hadn't exactly been told that this was a social committment he had signed up for. Teddy thought perhaps this was just awkward because of his father and Slughorn felt awkward or something. However, the next thing he knew was he was being invited to the annual Christmas party. It made it more awkward that he was the only first year and he was expected to bring a plus one. He had gotten close to his dorm mates and some random classmates he would would see for an hour or so a couple times a week (granted, he thought some of the girls in his class were cute, but it wasn't like he was going to try his luck just to never live it down).

"Is it weird that I'm supposed to be your 'date'?" Myles asked skeptically.

"Nope." Teddy's voice didn't hesitate or falter. He had purposefully neglected to do any sort of dressing up because neither he nor Myles had the financial means for dress robes.

"People aren't going to think I'm weird, are they?"

"They better not."

Slughorn met them at the door, smiling. "Ah, Mr. Lupin! And Mr. Birch."

"Just Myles, Sir." Myles said. It wasn't exactly a secret he hated his mouthful of a last name.

"Yes." The professor nodded briefly. "Well, the party isn't waiting for you!"

His classroom had completely shifted from having desks and bookshelves to a much more formal setting, with red tapestries and green floating lanterns that hung just above their heads.

"So... this is the Slug Club?" Myles asked.

"Yeah." Teddy looked around at the older students. "Can you tell why I invited you?"

"What's the point? Is it just some kind of... cool club?" Myles shook his head.

"It's supposed to be influential people or something." Teddy explained. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair. It had taken Myles a surprising amount of to catch on to Teddy's morphing. For a while, he assumed he was just smuggling hair dye into school and why trying to make his hair fall out. "I guess I'm here because of my Uncle Harry."

"Any luck with the parchment?" Myles asked his cohort quietly.

"Not yet, no." Teddy replied. "I did try putting ink on it earlier, though."

"What happened?"

"The ink disappeared."

"Disappeared? Was it supposed to do that."

"I don't think so. It just... absorbed into it. I've never see that before." Teddy informed him.

"You could try writing on it." Myles suggested. "Like... if you talked to it, would it talk back? Like one of those magic eight balls or something? I guess those aren't real magic, but you know what I mean, right?"

"I'm sort of worried, though, that it's going to eat my soul or use me to commit murder or something, but that's my next course of action."

"Getting your soul eaten or commiting complicit murder?"

"No, writing on it. But soul eating's definately up there somewhere."

"Wait, is having your soul eaten by paper something that happens a lot?" Myles wondered. "Like, should I be on guard for this?"

"Not really, but my uncle sent me the parchment and he almost has his soul possessed by a journal once, so I'm a bit apprehensive." Teddy thought for a second. "Scratch that, his wife _was_ possessed. He just had to kill a giant snake with death eyes that killed Moaning Myrtle."

"Oh, the famous one?"

"Yeah! Him." Teddy remarked.

"That's so weird." Myles remarked. "I mean, you godfather _literally_ saved the wizarding world."

"Shh," Teddy gestured for him to keep his voice down. "Yeah. Apparently our dads were friends. That, or my mom was _really_ drunk when she had me."

Myles laughed, looking around the room. "Do you... just curious, do know anyone here?"

Teddy glanced around "Not really. I mean, I know their names..."

"Can I come to your house for Christmas?" Myles wondered. Suddenly, he seemed extremely sidetracked.

"Trust me, Christmas at my house isn't exciting. My sister's birthday's on boxing day and my family's actually really boring." Teddy explained.

"No, it's not because of that." Myles said. "Christmas at my house sucks. My parents probably going to be crazy and stuff and I just wondered. It doesn't matter, honestly, I just wanted to ask. I can always stay here. Don't worry about it too much." He felt like he was rambling too much, but Teddy actually seemed to be listening to him.

"No, I can owl my mum tonight. She probably won't care. Dad might, but she'll talk him out of it. Or I can stay here with you, if you want. I don't mind." His friend reassured. Myles still looked unsure. "Honest. My parents are pretty cool."

"I mean, if they aren't, I understand, I-"

Teddy cut him off. "C'mon, I'm hungry. Let's go find food." He shrugged.


	100. Up To No Good

**AN: Sorry for the skipping around and slowish updates. These first couple of years are kind of slow. It's sad to think we're getting into the homestretch of this story (which, I've already planned and written the ending, but don't worry, we're going to get Teddy through school first). I think I'm dragging my feet because I know the ending is coming sooner than I'd like it to. I've just been trying to get stress out in POW so that I can bring all that good shit over here. Might throw my phone into a river at this point idk. Now open for writing ideas/suggestions/and requests for other stories.**

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wasn't particularly strange or terrible in anyway, he wasn't exactly memorable. It was the upperclassmen especially that found him exceedingly boring. Of all of his teachers, his "you're not getting special treatment" confrontation was the most embarrassing. Teddy mentioned him in a letter home, to which his godfather had replied with, _"At least he's not a death eater, now stop messing around and study for your final."_ The Christmas finals were grueling and Teddy decided he'd prefer standardized tests over having to perform charms and spells in front of the entire class. But then again, memorizing stars, breeds of magical creatures, and how to make a poison and its antidote were weighing him down already.

He was laying on his bed, exhausted. Myles was supposed to meet him at dinner to say goodbye before he got on the train to go home. Tonks had apologized profusely, saying that perhaps Myles could come over during summer break for a visit. Since Teddy had finished his finals, he realized he had nothing better to be doing. His roomates were finishing their classes or were in the Hufflepuff commons. The wizard's chess club had its last meeting for the holidays. He didn't have books to read or papers to write...

...but he _did_ have a set of mysterious and unyielding parchment. Teddy jumped up off of his bed and grabbed the parchment, a quill, and an ink well. He trampled down the steps to the common room.

"Teddy! Do you want to come with us to dinner?" One of his friends asked.

"I'm kind of busy." He dodged, heading for a desk. "Meet you down there."

The other boys exchanged expressions and chattered as they left the common room. "Don't forget!" One called. The portrait door shut.

Teddy quickly dipped the quill in the ink, putting a droplet on the corner of the page. In a few seconds, the paper soaked up into the paper.

" _Hello?"_ His eyes grew wide as he wrote on the page.

The paper didn't respond.

" _Are you real?"_ The words disappeared. " _Why are my words disappearing?_ _Is someone reading this?_ "

 _"You aren't going to kill me, are you?"_

Suddenly, words appeared where his were. **_Hmm. P_ _robably not._**

Teddy leaned back in his chair, thinking. _"What are you?"_

He awaited its response. _**Who's asking?** _He noticed that the writing changed from crooked cursive to straight, sloppy penmanship.

 _"My name's Teddy."_

The handwriting changed to a neat and cramped style that Teddy swore he recognized from somewhere.

 _ **And how did you find this, Teddy?** _The cramped writing asked.

 _"My Uncle gave it to me."_

 _ **Uncle?** _The cursive asked. **_Filch? One of the twins?_**

 _"No, Harry. Potter?"_

The parchment seemed to be thinking. The cursive remarked. _**Potter, eh?** _

**_Oh, d_ _on't be too cocky_ , _Prongs._** The sloppy handwriting said, but it didn't seemed to not be directed at Teddy. Thus, directly implying there were actually several (simulated?) consciousnesses inside of the paper.

"Wait, are you talking to me?" Teddy asked aloud. The paper didn't respond to his voice. _"Hello?"_

The paper paused to respond. _**Still here, mate.** _The sloppy handwriting replied.

 _"What are you?"_ Teddy realized that might seem rude. _"Sorry, who are you?"_

 ** _That's a good question._** The cursive stated. **_Why are you looking to know?_**

Teddy didn't know. Best case scenario, his godfather had sent him some cool magical artifact, intentionally or unknowing that it could talk, from the Ministry and at worst, it was a cursed object that found its way into the mail on accident. This was precisely not what he was supposed to be doing, yet here he was, scribbling all over it. _"My Uncle gave this to me and said I could use it and I'd like to know why."_

 ** _Perhaps you're looking for something._** The cramped writing told him. **_Perhaps this was give to you to help lead you in the right direction._**

 _"What's your names?"_ Teddy asked.

 ** _Moony,_** the neat, cramped writing said.

 ** _Wormtail,_** the childish handwriting said.

 ** _Padfoot,_** the sloppier writing said.

 ** _PRONGS,_** the cursive said.

"What kind of names are those?" Teddy asked aloud. The words didn't initially fade, leaving him to stare at their names. So four "people" lived inside the parchment and were going to help him find something. Great! Now he needed to figure out what, why, and how this was going to work. _"What am I looking for?"_

The penmanship didn't immediately reply. **_Trouble, perhaps?_** Padfoot replied.

The connotation behind that frightened Teddy somewhat. Was he going to have to fight someone or something? He wasn't sure that he _couldn't_ if it came down to it, but having a mark on his record in his first year wasn't optimal.

 _"I'm not sure I want 'trouble'."_ Teddy immediately realize that he likely slammed the door he was so desperately trying to open shut. _"What kind of trouble?_ _Am I supposed to do something for you? Is this supposed to help me get into trouble?"_

 ** _This is our masterpiece. Obviously, you've never heard of it, but this is a tool to accommodate you with your mischievous endeavours._** Prongs had begun writing before Teddy could finish.

 ** _We aren't here to get you in trouble, we're here to help you not get caught._** Padfoot announced.

Teddy was mosy definitely creeped out at this statement. _"What if I don't want to do something bad?"_

 ** _Then where's the fun?_** Prongs asked.

 _"Is it going to hurt someone?"_ Teddy asked.

 ** _We aren't here to hurt anyone._** Moony explained. **_And please refrain from hexing or jinxing people if possible._**

 ** _We want to keep you out of detention for being out of bed late at night or help you sneak into the hidden corridors and forbidden rooms of Hogwarts._** Padfoot replied.

 ** _Or get you into the kitchens between classes._** Wormtail added. **_And let you watch where that pretty girl went and tell you what her name is._**

 ** _We really don't. _**Moony said in a more reprimanding tone. **_But it's not like we can stop you, I suppose._**

 _"So how do you do that?"_ Teddy wondered, now suddenly intrigued.

The paper paused. **_You have to know the right password._** Prongs explained.

 _"What kind of password? How do I figure it out?"_

 ** _All you have to do is swear to us that you're a benevolent trickster, such as ourselves. Then we can show you whatever you want to see._** Padfoot said.

 ** _I don't think you know what benevolent means, Padfoot._** Moony remarked. **_Not that that isn't the goal, but you don't strike me as the "benevolent" type._**

 ** _Bugger off, you twat._** Padfoot shot back.

 _"What does that mean?"_

 ** _What, twat?_** Prongs asked.

 _"No, the whole swearing in part."_ Teddy wrote back. _"All I have to say is that I swear to be a trickster 'like you'?"_

 ** _Yes, but not like that._** Moony said. **_It's all in what you say precisely._**

 ** _And use your wand!_** Wormtail added.

 ** _Perhaps you ought to take a second the think about how serious this is._** Padfoot remarked. **_Start by stating h_** ** _ow earnestly or gravely you want to know our secrets._**

 ** _You might want to remember that._** Moony told him. Teddy scrambledscrambled to find a different piece of parchment to write on. "Ask Earnestly/Gravely."

 _"What else?"_ Teddy wondered.

 ** _What are you trying to do?_** Prongs prompted.

 _"I'm trying to,"_ Teddy didn't know what he wanted to do. He stopped to think and the paper was patient. _"see what this is?"_ That was, in fact, not the password. _"get into trouble?"_

 ** _It's a start._** Prongs replied. **_So if you're trying to get into trouble, what would that make you?_**

 _"Bad?"_

 ** _Sort of..._** Moony wrote.

 ** _Say, have you heard the phrase, "boys will be boys"? We are intended to necessarily not create harm, but redefine what that means._** Padfood said.

 ** _It's a bit pretentious if you ask me._** Wormtail remarked.

 _"I want to cause trouble?"_ Teddy was now at a point where he was juggling and questioning the paper, his morals, and what he actually wanted.

 ** _Getting warmer, mate._** Padfoot replied. **_Have you ever been to a courtroom before?_**

 _"No."_

 ** _Before you talk they make you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth._** ** _Remember that._**

Teddy wrote it down. _"So I have to swear in to find out what this is."_

 ** _Precisely._** Moony said. ** _But you have to say the right words._**

 _"So what do I have to promise to do?"_

 ** _What's the opposite of bad?_**

 _"Good."_

 _ **And what's the opposite of good?**_

 _"Bad?"_

 _ **But how else can you say it?**_ Padfoot asked. _**It would be not...**_

 _"Not good?"_ Teddy write it down.

 ** _Brilliant!_** Prongs remarked. **_Now all you have to do is whip out your wand and try to guess._**

 ** _Sounds awfully strange when you say it that way, mate._** Padfoot pointed out.

Teddy looked at his notes.

-Ask Earnestly/Gravely

-Swear

-Not Good

 _"Why are you helping me learn the password if you won't just tell me?"_ Teddy asked

 ** _We can't. The charms won't let us._** Moony said.

 ** _Takes the fun out of it._** Padfoot said.

 _"But why me?"_

 ** _Why not you?_** Prongs quipped.

 _"What if I'm not who I say I am?"_

 _ **What if you aren't?**_ Moony asked.

Teddy sighed. He set down the quill, dug out his wand and took a deep breath. "I swear I am not good." The paper cleared off of ink.

 ** _Not quite._** Wormtail remarked.

"I... earnestly swear I am not good?"

 ** _Nope._**

"I gravely swear I am not good?"

 ** _No._**

"I earnestly swear to tell the truth, the whole-"

 ** _Gonna have to stop you there and spare us all the breath._**

"I promise I will do no good? I most sincerely promise to not be good?" Teddy fumbled over every possible combination he could imagine to no luck. He finally decided to pocket the parchment and go to dinner, as at least dinner wouldn't make him solve riddles without telling him why, while implying that he may or may not be joining a literal gang.

Teddy was practically running to the Great Hall. He went straight for the Slytherin table, squeezing himself in next to Myles. "You're not going to believe this." He beamed. "The parchment's magical."

Myles had a mouthful of potatoes and was bewildered that his friend had appeared out of nowhere. "It... is? What are you talking about?"

"It talks back when you write on it." Teddy said. "There's this password, but I can't figure it out."

"Talks?" Myles asked. "What does it say?"

The other Slytherins were eyeing the weird first year Hufflepuff at their table. "I don't know, sort of." Teddy said in a low voice. "I'm still working on it, but there's these four _names_ that-"

"Excuse me, this isn't your table." The Slytherin Head Boy said in a dull voice.

Teddy looked up at him. Briefly, his currently magenta styled hair tinged and embarrassed red. He was going to need to get that under control before he made a complete fool of himself. "Sorry."

Myles was still fixated on his hair. "I can't believe I actually thought you dyed your hair a different colour every night. This is way cooler."


	101. Not A Big Deal

**AN: I was kind of struggling with writing this chapter and at midnight last night, decided to completely rewrite this chapter. I also said I wasn't going to update POW until this got finished, but I ran through this pretty quickly.**

"What do you want, you trash goblin?" Teddy demanded, looking up from his desk where his potions homework resided. Elena stared at him from the threshold, uncomfortably, unblinking. "What do you want?"

Elena waited a moment. "Mum wants to know if you're coming down for dinner."

"Tell her I'll be down in a minute." Teddy told her sternly. "And get out of my room."

"I'm not in your room." The girl announced.

"You know what I mean! _Get out!"_ Teddy demanded.

 _"I'm not in your room!"_

 _"Dad,_ Lena's being annoying!" Teddy yelled.

In the kitchen, Remus turned to his wife, wrinkling his nose. _"Dad, Lena's being annoying."_ He mimicked. She laughed.

"He called me a trash goblin!" Elena shouted.

 _"He called me a trash goblin."_ Tonks mimicked in a high pitched voice.

"Please quit calling each other speciest insults!" Remus shouted back.

"He _started_ it!" Elena defended. Teddy jumped off his bed and in a leap took a swing at her. She dodged, stumbling backwards. Teddy shut the door in her face. "He hit me!"

"And I'm finishing it, do you hear?" Remus replied.

"And quit slamming doors for crying out loud!" Tonks shouted.

Christmas dinner was surprisingly lacking in chaos. Bill and Fleur brought their kids and Andromeda had come over. There was more food than any of them could, but it was a pleasant, almost boring Christmas compared to most. Harry and Ginny had bailed to go to Ron and Hermione's, otherwise they would have brought their kids.

"Hi, Teddy." Victoire smiled brightly. She bounced towards him when she walked.

"Hey." Teddy replied. He didn't look up from the book sitting on his stomach.

"What's up?" She asked.

"Not much." Teddy said simply.

"I never get to see you around class much." Victoire chimed. "So I thought I'd come say hi while I could."

"Oh." Teddy nodded uncomfortably. "Cool." Victoire was a year behind him and though they were both put into Hufflepuff, he wanted to dodge her as much as he could. He didn't want to get too close to his sister's best friend because that was weird and he couldn't stomach it. He couldn't imagine Myles hanging around Elena anyways.

Victoire walked over and sat down at the desk beside his bed. "Aunt Dora said you're in the chess club."

"Yeah." Teddy nodded. "It's fun. You're not too bad, maybe you should join. Seriously, we hardly have any members."

"Are you... going to play quidditch next year?" Victoire asked curiously. "I know you said you wanted to try out this year, but there weren't any good positions open."

"I dunno if I'm good enough." He said. Part of him wanted to tell Victoire to leave him alone, but being that she wasn't actually his sister, he might get into even more trouble for rudeness. "Maybe Aunt Ginny or Uncle Harry or someone'll teach me over the summer so I can try out. We've got enough quidditch players in the family. Well, in _your_ family."

"What position would you want to play?"

Teddy shrugged. "Maybe a keeper? That, or a chaser, I'm not sure. I don't think I'd want to be a beater and I'd probably be a really bad seeker if I tried. I think a bunch of the Hufflepuff players are graduating this year anyways, maybe three or four of them. But they might not want a third year hanging around anyways. They'll want an upperclassman."

"I think you'd be plenty good at quidditch if you tried." Victoire mentioned. "Besides, how are you going to get good, if you don't try?"

"Yeah, well, I also don't like the cold and the rain very much anyways." He remarked. "I might not have the dedication to get out on the pitch no matter what. That sort of throws a wrench in things."

"Oh, well." Victoire shrugged. "I think I'd rather keep my feet on the ground. I know Elena wants to play. If only she had better eyesight, she'd probably make a good seeker. What if she gets in Hufflepuff and you two play together?

"I'm really banking on the idea that she doesn't. I could not stand seeing her at breKfast every single day. But I guess you and Lena are talking? She's supposed to be getting her letter soon. Tomorrow, I think, for her birthday." Teddy shook his head. "If she gets it, right?"

"She's definitely going to be in Ravenclaw, don't you think?" She asked. "I dunno. Maybe she's just really good at hiding her magic."

"I dunno." Teddy repeated.

"Victoire and Dominique!" Bill called. "We're leaving! So unless you want to stay here, this is the final call!"

"Can we stay?" Dominique called back from outside Elena's room.

"No!" Fleur replied.

"I guess that's it then." Victoire awkwardly stood up. "See you on the train."

"Yeah." Teddy replied.

"Bye, Dominique! By Vic!" Elena shouted.

"By Victoire!" Teddy called.

"Teddy, get down here and say goodbye to your grandmother." His mother urged. Andromeda chuckled and gave her daughter a hug. "Love you, Mum."

"I love you two, Dora." Andromeda said. Remus slid in to join their hug. "And Remus too." She laughed.

"Be careful on the ice, Andy." Remus warned. "You know to send a patronus if anything happens, right?"

"Yes, I know how a patronus works." Andromeda said lightly. "I'll make it in the house, don't worry about me."

"Elena, Teddy, will you please come thank your grandmother." Tonks urged, the couple backing off to let their children say their goodbyes.

"Bye, Nana." Elena smiled, hugging her warmly. "Thanks for all the stuff."

"You're welcome and happy birthday, Lena Bug." Andromeda replied. "Where's your brother? Oh- Edward?" Teddy crept in and gave her a hug.

"Happy Christmas, Nana." He said quietly. "And thanks for the presents."

"You're very welcome." Andromeda smiled at the two. "Please try not to eat all your sweets in one sitting."

"No promises." Tonks smiled. "Please be careful, Mum."

"Oh, stop worrying so much, Dora, or your hair'll match Remus's before too long!" Andromeda replied as she walked out of the door.

Elena smirked and turned to her brother. "I heard you and Victoire talking." She taunted. "I bet you've got a crush on her."

"You don't even know what a crush is!" Teddy shot back, already retreating to his room. Elena followed in pursuit.

"I do too! You think she's _pretty!"_

 _"Shut up!"_

"Merlin's beard, we can't get a break, can we?" Remus sighed, rubbing his eyes as he sat down on the couch. Nowadays, he was looking worse for wear no matter how much he reassured the others that he felt far from fifty. Every now and again, the age gap got bigger, somehow. Twenty-four and thirty-seven felt extremely different from thirty-seven and fifty. Likely, it would be another three years before it closed in again. Until then, Tonks would sometimes have darker bags under her eyes than usual or her skin wouldn't look as smooth or her hair would like its usual vibrancy and springiness. "They are _literally_ going to rip each other apart."

His wife pecked him on the cheek and joined him in his seat, covering them with a blanket that sat in her lap. She took a drink of her tea. "It's nice and quiet and I _love_ it. _This_ is what Christmas should be like. Every year."

"Sometimes I wonder why our children are so introverted and sometimes I really don't." Remus laughed lightly.,

"I _like_ entertaining people, but after about day three, I'm a little sick of it." There was wrapping paper all over the floor and Patches was burying himself in it, only his flickering tail visible. He was suspiciously eyeing the Christmas tree. "Cat, I swear, if you do it, I will _skin you."_

"You know he has no moral compass." Remus yawned. "I wish I could get tomorrow off, but you know there's going to be an insane mob of people in Diagon Alley tomorrow. Maybe Flourish's won't be too busy. You've got work too, yes?"

Tonks nodded. "Believe it or not, I'm trusting those two alone to not eat each other alive tomorrow." She took a sip of her tea, thoughtfully staring at the rug. "For the record, I love Harry to death, but it's been almost two years and I... I dunno. He drives me crazy sometimes, you know? Like he..."

"He what?"

"He's just... weird sometimes. Like I could tell him to run to the other end of the Ministry and back for a staple and he'd say 'yes, Ma'am,' you know?" She laid her head on her husband's shoulder.

"He looks up to you." Remus replied. "He still sees you as the Tonks that fought for the Order during the war, he barely sees you Dora, the family friend, and he doesn't see you as Dora, the coworker. He's comfortable with you, but he still looks up to you."

"That sounds about right."

"I'd bet it has to do with the Dursley's. He views you in a way that could change at any second. You might snap at him at any second."

"That's what I hate. I'm so afraid to get angry about anything because I know he'll feel awful forever about it." Tonks sighed. "He's a good kid. He's not a kid, obviously, but my point still stands."

"Maybe you ought to just tell him that." Remus suggested. Tonks nodded quietly. Her mind was distracted and wandering around the room. Her husband reached over and kissed her to bring her back in to him. "What's wrong?"

"I dunno. I'm worried about Elena's letter... I'm worried about her not getting her letter. I'm worried it'll crush her." She confessed.

"We've talked to her a dozen times, haven't we? There's nothing else we can tell her to make her feel better." He explained. "If she doesn't get it, she doesn't get it. Life keeps going."

"I don't want to sound callous, but you're right. There's not much we can do." Tonks stared down at her lap.

"What else are you thinking about?" Remus asked.

"I dunno." She sighed. She tried to curl up in his chest without spilling her tea.

They were interrupted by a tapping on the living room window. Remus perked up. "Please let this be the store, please let this be the store, I'd _really_ rather not go to work tomorrow..." He jumped up and walked to the window. The owl handed him a letter and flew off into the blustery snow storm. He held it up towards his wife and she squinted but couldn't make out the letters. "Elena Lupin! There's a letter downstairs for you!"

There was a trampling. "It shouldn't be here until tomorrow!" Elena exclaimed.

"Oh well." Tonks replied, her lips upturning.

Remus playfully kept the letter from the girl. Frustrated, she threw her arms around him in a hug, still trying to reach over his head to the letter. "Now give it up!" Elena demanded.

 _"Please."_ He smiled.

"Please!" Remus handed over her envelope. She furiously opened it with her fingernail and dug out the letter, mesmerized as she read it aloud. "Dear Ms. Lupin, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."

Remus returned to his seat, curling up under the blanket beside Tonks, letting her return her head to his shoulder. "I _told you."_ He muttered.

"I know." Tonks said in a barely distinctive voice. She gently kissed him. "I was worried, is all. It doesn't matter anyways."

"...Sincerely, Minerva Mcgonagall." Elena looked up to her parents. "Is that it then?"

"Pretty much." Tonks smiled. "You're enrolled! Isn't that exciting?"

"Yeah," Elena replied, bouncing on her toes. "Dunno, guess I thought it was supposed to be bigger or something."


	102. Sorted Out--Again

**AN: To anyone reading, I recently updated my story Prisoners of War and am now writing a new AU called And he Picked Up His Hammer And Saw, if you like more AU pieces by yours truly. Enough self promo. The AM chapters should be a bit closer together on the timeline now instead of literally once a year.**

The front door slammed shut. Remus had his hand on the small of his wife's back. "Are you going to be okay?" He tried not to act amused at her despair. "You don't have to cry."

"I'm really trying!" She said. Tonks had started silently crying on the way to the train station. Her goodbyes were blurry as she kept insisting she was okay and hugged the children goodbye. Back in the car was when the harder tears began. Everytime she tried to stop and breathe, she was left hiccuping and sputtering and completely unable to suck in any air.

"Dora, it's okay." Remus laughed lightly, pulling her in for a hug. "I know, it's going to be hard these next four months."

"They're basically grown ups already!" She remarked. Another set of tears began. "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay! They aren't gone forever, though. You've got to remember that, love."

 _"I know,_ but we'll only be seeing them on holidays now until they _are!"_

"Shh, it's all okay." Remus said. He kissed the top of her head and used his sleeve to wipe away her tears. "Look, at least there won't be fighting. And no one's going to be making a mess of anything. Or eating all of the food the day after we buy groceries..."

"That's _you_ that does that-"

"Okay! You get my point!"

Tonks sort of laughed and so did he. "It's just... it's so quiet, you know? Is this what _retirement_ is like, except, you know, not? I mean, I imagine so, in a way..."

"I mean, I'm sure it'll feel like this when they move out. For real." Remus replied.

"It's..." Tonks looked around. Her tears slowly stifled. "Don't take this the wrong way, but... this is sort of what it would have been like back when we first got married, you know? We had the kids so quickly, we never really did have... _this_. I dunno. It's a bit lonesome."

"It's peaceful." Remus agreed.

"We never really did have a lot of time to ourselves. Maybe when Teddy was a baby, but it was never quite just a 'you and me' thing." Remus walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He had left one of his novels discarded and picked it up where he left off with it. "I don't really know what to do with myself, though. Not to sound like I'm taking all the credit for parenting, you definitely did that... It's strange to think about having no one to have to tend to." She shifted uncomfortably, following him.

"You don't really have a lot of hobbies, do you?"

"No, but neither do you." Tonks replied quickly. "My job and my family are my hobbies."

"Sure, I do. I know you're restless, but I think there are plenty of fictional books out there that you might enjoy." Remus said.

"I don't see how you manage that." Tonks sighed. "You come home, sit down and just... _read_ , you know? Sounds like work."

"Work?" Remus looked up at her and laughed. "Dora, are you reading _furniture assembly manuals?"_

"Just saying, I'm not in school. They're all... no offense, but to me, reading is just like watching a stuck up person's monologue. Big words, don't care. It's not for me. You're the smart one."

"Oh, Dor." Remus shook his head smiling. He closed his book and stood up, taking her by the hand. "Come on, let's find something in my collection you might like."

"You say that like I've never looked at any of them." She said dryly as he led her down the hallway to the bookshelf. "I do _know_ how to read. I'm not _stupid."_

"I do this for a living, I can find _you_ of all people an interesting book." He scanned over the bindings of the books. "I have at least three separate series about dragons. Thoughts?"

Tonks shook her head. "Only so much you can go on about dragons before you lose me."

"Right. What about... you wouldn't like romance, would you?"

"Remus, we've been married for fourteen years and you think I would read romance novels?"

"I know, but I think you might actually like it if you tried it-"

"What else have you got?" Tonks said.

"Biographies... Encyclopedias on magic? Now _that's_ boring. A bunch of classics..."

"What's that one?"

"Which?"

"That one."

"That's... a copy of the Odyssey." Remus sighed. "If you think classical British literature is too stuck up, you're going to _hate_ that."

"Right." She nodded. "What else?."

"Here." Remus picked a book out of a corner. "I _think_ you might like this."

She looked at the dusty glossed cover. "Is it any good?"

He dusted his hands off on his pants and shrugged. "It's a crime novel, they come a dime a dozen."

"But is it _good?"_

"I don't really remember, actually. Come to think of it, I might not have actually read it before." Remus said bluntly. "Not really my type."

"Now, remind me again how you do this for a living?" Tonks teased, holding the book against her chest.

He rolled his eyes. "I just thought maybe you'd like the characters or something. _Relate to them_ , somehow. It'll give you something to do when you're on call or have nothing better to do when I'm on closing shift. Maybe just give it a try and see how you like it, alright?"

"Fine." Tonks kissed him on the cheek briefly. "I've got high expectations here." She told him graciously.

Myles was straightening his tie. "I really don't think Professor Flitwick could have piled on more homework if he tried. And a test? Tomorrow? That's not even fair."

"I told you to get a head start on studying." Teddy replied. He was fussing over his hair, which was currently a bright purple color, in the window of the train compartment. "Sorry, I'm ready."

"It's a bit hard when your parents barely stop yelling at each for five minutes." Myles mumbled. He picked up the end of his trunk and followed Teddy out into the hallway.

"Hey, watch it!" A girl exclaimed.

"Oh shut up, nerd." Teddy rolled his eyes.

Elena's forehead creased angrily. "You don't have to be a jerk to me."

"I'm just messing with you, Lena."

"Seriously?" She remarked. The girl stayed on his heels all the way out of the train "Are you going to be like that all year?"

"Question, why are you following me?" Teddy asked. "You know you're supposed to go over there with the other first years."

"Am I?" She turned around. Hagrid was already gathering a following of nervous first years. "Oh. Right. See you later then."

"Bye!" Teddy waved after her. He suddenly felt bad, knowing that this was going to be a big deal for her, even if he desperately hoped she didn'tget Hufflepuff. "Good luck, Elena! Just don't trip on the steps!"

"Anyways, sorry Myles." Teddy shook his head. "Maybe I can get out that old map my Uncle Harry gave me and sneak in tonight to study?"

"Why did you stop using that thing? It's so neat."

"Probably after Sprout made me write sentences. Don't you remember?"

Myles squinted thoughtfully. "Was that... was that the time that Dickerson kid made a bet that you wouldn't steal a broomstick or the time you tried to climb out a window so you could get into the girls' dorm?"

"No, that was before I tried to break into the prefects bathroom last year, panicked, and made a break out a back door and ended up in the forbidden forest. By the way, who said I tried to break into the girls' dorm? I never did that."

"Oh yeah. Sorry, people were talking, you know?" Myles shook his head. "So you're trying out for quidditch this year."

"If Sprout lets me." Teddy grumbled. "She'll probably make me do some kind of service project or join a study group just to make up for all the other stuff I did."

"I mean, you did threaten to hang that one Stanley guy off the Astronomy Tower by his underpants and you were already on your broom. I'd be a bit concerned too."

"I feel like... I feel like you're leaving the part where he drew his wand on me and tried to hit me in the face with a rock in the courtyard." Teddy replied. "You really don't make me sound like that great of a person."

"No, I'm just trying to say it from their perspective, you know? On the plus side, you do make better grades than me and you won that chess tournament last fall. Myles nodded. "We'd better start walking if we're going to make it to the carriages."

"Did you know that they don't pull themselves?" Teddy asked. "They've got these invisible winged horses that-"

"Hi, Teddy!" A mousey girl appeared behind the boys.

"Hi, Victoire." Teddy rolled his eyes. "Anyways, they're called _thestrals_ and they can only be seen by people who have-"

"Did you have a good rest of your summer?" The blonde girl smiled brightly.

"Yeah, it was fine." Teddy was becoming more annoyed now. "Thestrals can only be seen by people who've watched people die and that's why they look invisible to everyone else."

"Oh yeah, I knew about those." Myles replied. "I didn't think they were pulling themselves? Sorry. I was wondering what people were talking about. I saw my uncle die when he had cancer."

"What?"

"Did you have a good rest of the summer Myles?" Victoire asked.

"Oh sure, yeah." He nodded.

"I-"

"I really enjoyed getting to play quidditch with the two of you. And Lena." Victoire said. "You should try out with Teddy! Wouldn't it be funny to see the two of you compete against each other?"

"Hey, we've got to go, sorry. Meeting up with sombody." Teddy said quickly, dragging Myles towards a carriage. He waited until they were out of earshot from Victoire. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What's wrong?"

Teddy frowned. "What do you think of Vic?"

Myles's face turned bright red. "I-I dunno. She's nice. Why?"

Teddy scoffed. "You know she's part _veela_ , right?"

"Part what?"

"Veela." Teddy replied. "It's like... imagine being born naturally _really_ pretty and charismatic, you know? I dunno, but your eyes get all glossed over when you see her."

"What? And yours don't?" The other boy said defensively.

"I dunno! I grew up with her, okay!" Teddy shot back. "And please don't get... you know... _that look_ with my sister, okay? It's weird. They're best friends and it's just... _weird."_

"Yeah, got it."

 _"Seriously."_ Teddy lowered his voice. _"And please_ don't get too close with my sister. I'd really appreciate it."

"What? You act like I was considering it or something." Myles shot back.

"I-" Teddy stared down at the floorboards. "I'm worried about how she'll fit in, I guess. I never really thought a lot about her being here, but she's scrawny and she'll probably get picked on for reading a lot and drawing and... I think she's really eager to please people? I don't want her getting all walked on by the upperclassmen. They're my family and I want to look after them."

Tonks's foot was nervously jittering up and down throughout dinner at Grimmauld place. It didn't look anything like it anymore and Tonks wondered if the dining room with the yellow wallpaper and lace doilies on the table really was the same dining room she met Remus in, the same one the Order had discussed the ins and outs of the corrupt Ministry. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?" Ginny Potter asked, gently patting her on the arm.

"Yeah, fine." Tonks nodded. She hadn't really been eating, but was instead sliding her food around the plate while the others had already started on dessert. "I was like this with Teddy when he got sorted."

"It's going to go fine." Remus told her for what felt like the one-hundreth time. "She'll get sorted and all's going to be well."

Tonks didn't answer. She looked up from her plate. "They're sending them earlier and earlier, I swear." She saw the owl before the others did.

"I believe you get to read this one aloud?" Remus announced, holding out the envelope to her.

Tonks felt a knot in her stomach. She imagined the worst. What if Elena had to suffer the embarrassment of getting sent home? She had only heard of that happening once or twice to students who desperately wanted to be magic and had demanded letters to go with their siblings.

"To the parents or guardians of Ms. Elena Lupin, we here at Hogwarts wish to congratulate your family on her successful sorting..." Tonks suddenly sat up straight, upon reading it. Seeing Albus, James, and Lily at the table, she quickly covered her mouth to muffle her, "holy shit."

"What's wrong?" Remus asked.

"Elena's..." Tonks looked quite puzzled. "She got put into Slytherin."


	103. Trying

Elena was standing awkwardly by herself against the wall of the common room. The common room was dimly lit. She wondered it it always looked like nighttime down in the dungeons. It was warmer than she expected. Tall windows towered down two stories, almost black lake looming behind them. Older students were lingering around on the couches. She hadn't unpacked her stuff yet. Frankly, she was terrified of meeting her new roommates.

"Hey." A voice approached her. Elena jumped to see a red haired boy in green robes standing behind her. "Lena, hey, it's me."

"What are you doing here?" She immediately recognized his disguise. "Where did you get those?"

"I came to see help Myles study. And see you, but we've got a Charms test tomorrow." Teddy replied. "They aren't Slytherin robes, I just transfigured them green. I'll change them back when I get back."

"But _how_ did you get _in?"_

"I told the portrait I was in the bathroom and my prefect left me behind. You'd be surprised how well that works." He said. "How are you holding up?"

She shook her head. "I hate it here." She said quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, _what do I mean?_ _I don't like it here."_

"Yeah, I mean, I was shocked when you got sorted. But so what?" Teddy asked.

"What are Mum and Dad going to say, huh?" She shot back. "This is, like, _the worst house."_

"They... probably don't care as much as you think?" Teddy replied. "I mean honestly, this isn't _that_ big of deal."

 _"Not that big of a deal? Are you insane?"_ Elena demanded. "When you got Hufflepuff everyone was _so_ happy because you got in Mum's house. _I got Slytherin._ Do you _know_ who was in Slytherin?"

"I don't see your point." He replied simply.

"Have you _never_ paid attention when Nana's gone on about growing up?" Elena folded her hands across her chest. "There were a lot of _bad_ people in Slytherin."

"My best friend's in Slytherin. And you're right, Nan _was_ in Slytherin. And Nan wanted to leave her family because she stood up for what she believed in. That's the _opposite_ of being bad. And Mum's friend Sparrow, at work, he's a Slytherin. He's an _auror._ What are you saying about them?"

"I was just saying I think I got put in the wrong house." Elena stammered.

"Does it really matter that much to you?" Teddy asked. "Think about it, are you going to suddenly turn into a death eater and start killing muggleborns because the sorting hat thought you're a hard worker or have leadership skills or something?"

"Do I _look_ like I have leadership skills?"

"What about Myles? Why do you think he got put in Slytherin? Elena, Myles is a _muggleborn_ and he got put in here. You're making _bold_ assumptions by saying you don't belong here because it's _bad_."

"But I _don't."_ Elena said definitely. "No one else that we know is in Slytherin."

"What I'm saying is that maybe you just have a lot of motivation to work hard." Teddy shrugged. "Whatever. You don't care. I guess if you want to talk to Mcgonagall, then owl Dad and ask him to set up a meeting or something."

"But won't he get angry if I call him to the school? I'm stuck here!"

"Then be stuck here, I don't know what to say." Teddy replied. "Didn't you want to come here to begin with?"

"What if everyone thinks I'm an awful person if I-"

"Elena, I don't know, okay!" Teddy threw up his hands. "Figure it out!"

"I don't know how!" Elena quietly stared up at the walls. "Teddy, what if the windows break?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"We're underneath the lake. The pressure from the water's likely pressing down hard on the glass. What if it breaks?"

"All of the dungeons would flood and we would probably all die instantly. But there was an entire battle here. I think if the windows were going to break, it would've happened a _long_ time ago." Teddy said thoughtfully.

"There wasn't fighting _in_ the common rooms."

"How do you know?"

"How do _you know?"_

 _"Well how do you?"_

"Why should there be? It's like fighting in a bathroom." She defended.

"That'd be a perfect place to duel someone. They wouldn't expect it to happen."

"First of all, _ew_."

"What?" Teddy took his bag off his shoulder and walked over to the couch, dropping his books in the floor. Myles was sifting through parchment, looking visibly confused. "The windows won't break. It's been a hundred plus years since the school was built."

 _"Exactly._ What if it only takes a hundred plus and one years to _break?"_ His sister followed him.

"You're losing it." Teddy rolled his eyes.

Elena sat down beside him, crossing her arms. "How do you think Dad ever came back to this place?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Mum and Dad. They fought here, didn't they? Why would Dad want to come back and teach for an entire decade?" Elena said.

"I don't know." He replied. "Maybe he just didn't think about it? Ask him."

"I dunno."

Teddy could feel her eyes bearing into him. "Don't you have something better to do?"

"No?"

"Can I see your schedule then?" She pulled it out of her pocket. She was trying to memorize it, but the classroom numbers were already confusing. "Do you know how to get around the school? You haven't even seen the staircases, have you? It's a nightmare at first."

"Yeah, I don't know have a clue where anything."

Teddy nodded. "Alright then. Remind me, I can get you a map."

"You're not going to give her _the_ map, are you?" Myles asked.

"I'll _lend_ it." Teddy told him. "Is that it then?"

"Yeah, I guess?"

"Well go away then. I've _got_ to get ready for this test." He told his sister sternly. "My whole semester grade is riding on this."

"Fine." She huffed.

She thought it was sort of funny when she woke up for breakfast and her brother and his friend were no where to be seen. However, this meant no access to the map. An owl had dropped her off a letter from home, but when she read it, she thought it felt less genuine than she expected. Her parents told her they were proud and all, but didn't they say the exact same thing to Teddy? Her schedule was overwhelming. The only good part of her morning seemed to be nothing but frustration. She could barely sit still through the History of Magic syllabus as it droned on and on. The only good thing that happened, she was sure of, was when she managed to lift a broom off of the ground on demand.

"It takes a lot of concentration. Not all of you will be able to get it on your first try." Professor Flitwick reminded them as he walked around the room.

The boy next to Elena had already caught his desk on fire. Another literally threw his wand across the room out of uncoordination.

"Wingardium Leviosa." She mumbled in a low voice, leaning on her arm.

"Ms. Lupin, why don't you use more flourish in your wrist."

"Wingardium Leviosa." She repeated, trying to wave her wrist more. Her eyes turned up to the professor. The feather did not budge. The only time it had was when she let out a sigh and it hovered in the air.

Professor Flitwick shook his head. "Keep trying. Perhaps tomorrow you'll get it right."

Suddenly, the confidence she had in the idea that she could do magic diminished.

Teddy had only a few hours of sleep and had slept through breakfast, winding up late to his first hour Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Mr. Lupin!" The teacher called. He was a fairly creepy looking man. He was tall and slender and was often lacking any color in his face and his clothes. Frankly, Teddy thought he looked like a mortician.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you have a hall pass?"

"I, um, the prefect let me go." The teacher was skeptical. "No, sir." Teddy confessed.

"Then you better come up to the front of the class so that I don't have to send you to detention. We're having a demonstration." He snapped, pointing at the front of the room. The desks had been pushed together in the back of the room. "You ought to be perfect for this. Your father was the one who originally started this tradition, I believe it would be appropriate for you to be the one to continue it."

"I'm sorry, sir?" Teddy set his books onto a table.

"Come on, we don't have day now." Teddy ran to the front of the classroom. "Your father always taught boggarts on the first day of third year, therefore, I thought ir must be a good enough idea. And when possible, all of my third years should get the same experience. Take our your wand."

Teddy took his wand out of his robe pocket.

"Well, Mr. Lupin, since you are so talented at charming your robes green, why don't you unlock that wardrobe for me?" A couple of kids in the back laughed. Teddy felt his face become hot. "And while you're at it, you could explain what a boggart is... assuming you did your homework."

"Boggarts... take shape of whatever you're afraid of, right?" Teddy pointed his wand at the wardrobe. His face had turned bright pink. "Alohamora."

The door opened by itself. "Well done." The professor nodded. "Now, if you hadn't come in late, perhaps, you would have heard how to defend against a boggart. Any guesses, Mr. Lupin?"

Teddy was beginning to sweat. Profusely, actually. "It's, um..." He thought hard for a moment. The door rattled. _Think!_ He tried to remember back when his father would talk about the school, but he realized half the time, he wasn't even listening. "Um... it's... well you've got to laugh at it. It's..."

"A very simple incantation, Lupin." The professor's voice grey more annoyed as the cabinet rocked angrily.

"Yeah, _I know-_ I mean... _I can't think straight."_ Teddy replied, squeezing closed his eyes.

"Your enemies won't wait for you to gather your thoughts. You have to compose yourself as you draw your wand and be ready to strike."

His hand was shaking. The door to the closet was rattling, slowly creaking open. Teddy held his breath. He had no idea what was about to stumble out and feared, whatever it was would be human shaped.

And of course, it was.

And _of course_ it was _very_ dead. A girl behind him let out a scream, clasping her hands over her mouth. The boggart hit the ground flat on the floor. What was worse than staring at the body of his father lying before him was the sudden gnawing guilt that whatever happened was his fault. The professor didn't intervene, but watched him closely.

"Riddikulus!" He felt his wand jerk in resistance, almost as if it was about to go flying of of his hand. There was a _crack_. The body changed to another recognizable person, but didn't get to it's feet. _"Riddikulus!"_ Teddy said with more force.

 _Crack._ "You can't let yourself think bad thoughts." The professor rebuked. "You aren't trying hard enough."

 _Crack._ "I'm _trying!"_ Teddy exclaimed. He stared as various members of his family and friends were dead in front of his, the intense regret and remorse he was feeling only worsening. "I'm really trying! Can't you see that I'm trying?"

"I can see that you aren't centering yourself."

Teddy turned to shout at the teacher. "Do you want me to focus or not?"

"Lower your weapon." Teddy sheepishly lowered his wand. The man pursed his lips. "I was going to give you the opportunity to redeem yourself, but I believe you've earned a detention. You can talk to me after class. Now go to the back, Mr. Lupin." The dead corpse of his mother was still sprawled out in the floor, untouched.


	104. The Beginning of A New Year

"Can I say something without you being judgemental?" Tonks said, rolling her head over on the pillow to face her husband.

Remus flicked his hand towards their bedroom door. It was distracting him to have the cat try to stick his paws under the door, begging to get inside. The cat bounded inside and came flying up onto the bed. "Is it going to hurt my feelings?"

"No."

"Then go on." Remus said, putting his arm around her and letting her rest on his chest. He was gently petting her head. The cat was curiously climbing over his parents, jealous of his father's apparent affection that appeared to have to correlation to him or his food bowl.

"I'm almost glad the kids are gone." Tonks closed her eyes. "For the past three years, I've done nothing but worry about Teddy and I was worried when Elena got sorted, but I'm glad they're gone. Not bec- _Ah,_ can you get off me, please? You're crushing me. _Thank you._ Anyways, I'm not glad because they're gone, necessarily. Because I know they're happy and having a good time and studying. Except for Elena. I know she's still stressed because she got put in Slytherin. Remus, would you _quit it-"_

Remus was wiggling his fingers behind his wife's head. The cat was swatting at her, taking a swipe at her ear. He was quite amused with himself. Tonks rolled her eyes. He playfully kissed her. "She'll figure it out. We haven't gotten any letters demanding we bring her home. She's probably already making friends. And Teddy really is trying out for quidditch today, isn't he?"

"Mmhm." Tonks rubbed her lips together. "I mean, I'm sure she's far from being the only kid who feels that way. Especially after the war."

"She's going to be fine. At least she's got Teddy and Victoire to watch out for her." Remus remarked. "And I'm sure she knows she can talk to the teachers."

"She does know, right? I think she should have figured out that this actually pretty big for her." Tonks said. "If I'd been in Slytherin, she'd be, what, an a-millionth generation Slytherin? Probably goes back to when the house was founded. Mum's gonna be happy when she hears."

"Oh, and did I tell you who wrote me last night?"

"Hmm?"

"Horace Slughorn. Apparently he's got his little club going where he invites kids to parties or something like that. Anyways, he's supposedly recruited both of our kids. _Officially."_

Tonks nodded, not following what he was saying. "And... this is for what exactly?"

"You _don't_ remember the Slug Club?"

"I'm sorry, the _what now?"_

Remus shook his head. "It was basically a roomful of influential students. He does it every year, James, Lily and Sirius were all in it-" The thought struck him. "Wait, are you seriously _that_ young?"

Tonks laughed. "Remus, for crying out loud, you _know_ how old I am. We've _talked about this-"_

"I know! It's just... I...I try not to think about the fact that Severus was your teacher for seven years." He squeezed her shoulder tightly. "It still boggles my mind. It's still... _unsettling,_ I'll put it that way."

"I'll say it again. I _wouldn't_ have gotten married to Snape." She rolled her eyes, pecking him on his cheek. "It's not like that. We've probably gone over this a _million_ times and it doesn't even _matte-"_

"I know, I know..." Remus shook his head. He unwrapped his arm from around her and sat up. "Forget I said anything. Anyways, I suppose I'm glad they got picked. At least they can try and make friends that way... you know, even if Horace has... let's just say _equivocal_ intentions."

"Do you think really will like quidditch? Between him and his sister, sometime I can't tell who's worse about being people-pleasers." She shook her head.

"I think... I think if he doesn't make the team, he knows it isn't the end of the world." Remus said. "But obviously I want to see him succeed, no matter what."

"We probably need to get showered and dressed soon." Tonks yawned. "I don't want to keep you from all your important book-keeping duties."

"Probably should." Remus said, kissing her briefly. "Unfortunate, but true."

"Does that mean I get to join you?" She asked curiously. Tonks unburied herself from the blanket and trailed behind her husband as he made his way to the bathroom.

"No promises." He smiled. Remus turned on the shower to warm up and walked back towards the sink. He was having another coughing fit again.

Tonks wrapped her arms around his middle. "Remus?"

"Ye-" Remus strained to catch his breath. "Yes, darling?"

"Do you think we need to have another talk with the kids? Do you think it's time?" She asked in a low voice. She eyed the collection of bottles and vials on his side of the counter. "You are taking them, right? I l've been waiting for your prescrption in the owls, and I'm worried that I'm not seeing any. And I'm worried about you. I'm worried that... maybe we need to start preparing them. Maybe _we_ need to be preparing."

"I'm not dead _yet."_ Remus replied dryly.

"I know, but you sound _awful."_ His wife reminded him. "These potions aren't going to work forever."

He slammed his fist on the counter and she reeled backwards. _"I know_ they're not going to work forever, Dora!" Remus closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He coughed again. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Tonks rubbed circles in the middle of his back. "We caught the symptoms and we can slow it down. We need to be thankful for this. I can see you easily living another nine years if you keep yourself focused. _Minimum_ of five, remember? Not maximum."

"I don't think I was ever supposed to live this long anyways." He began rambling. "I'm conflicted, I mean, why prolong the inevitable? We've been doing this for over ten years, and what have they really accomplished? They reformed the wolfsbane potion? At this point, even if they _do_ find a cure, what's the point in it? I'm already getting weaker."

"Didn't you _just_ say that you're not dead yet?" Tonks replied. "Come on, you can't quit now. You _know_ you can't. You're... you've got too much life left in you, I'm just worried that maybe... maybe it's not as much as we thought."

"I don't know why we're so surprised." Remus looked up at himself in the mirror. "I think about this a lot. I don't want to talk about it with you because I don't want you to get upset. I don't want to seem obsessed with my own death." He confessed.

"Remus, we've _got_ to talk about this." Tonks told him. "We can't keep ignoring this until you end up on your deathbed. I keep imagining, you know, what if one day they finally _do_ find a cure? We'll get to see the kids grow up, get married, maybe even live to see our grandchildren one day."

"But at this point... I think I'm past saving. You know, obviously I want to do everything possible for the kids but... I know that I _really_ am... dying." Remus paused. "I still don't like that word."

"The sooner we talk to the kids, the better." She told him. "We can't just wake them up one morning and tell them that you've got six months to live. Didn't the healers say at least five years? That's plenty of time. I would be thankful for five years."

His eyebrows creased. "I don't want to leave them while they're so young."

"They have good memories of you, Remus." His wife reassured. "And plenty of time to make more of them." She reached up and kissed his cheek. "Just remember to take your medicine, please. We can't really afford for you not to."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Teddy grabbed his sister by the ponytail and she let out a shriek.

"Hey! _A_ _sshole!"_ She yelled at him. He was within punching range as she swung her arm at him, weakening her blow only as he ran away. Today, Teddy was wearing dirty and faded yellow practice robes that were too big for him with a school broomstick in his hand. Harry promised if he decided to play, he would get him a nicer broomstick. They were so big on him they nearly reached his knees, but he wasn't making any effort to fit himself into them any better. "I don't have to _be here!"_

"Watch your mouth, _ma'am."_ Teddy snapped at her. "What do you think Dad would say if he heard you, huh?" He taunted as he walked backwards onto the field.

"He'd probably tell you to quit being an _asshole!"_ Elena called after him. Victoire slapped her arm to make her stop. "Don't hit me, you're not in this fight. You're not _that_ much older than me."

"Why do you hate him so much?" The other girl asked. "He has to focus."

"We don't _hate_ each other. And we don't _fight."_ Elena rolled her eyes. "You make it sound like we start breaking bones or something."

Victoire shook her head. "Whatever you say."

Teddy was huddled together with a bunch of students in similar clothes, all holding broomsticks. Some of the older students had nicer robes and broomsticks; They were the players that were calm, cool, laughing and joking with each other. They already knew they were making the team. Teddy was beside a second year who was a lot more nervous than he was. Teddy didn't know what he was supposed to be feeling. The two girls on the bleachers were straining to see what was going on.

"Alright, everyone! Stop- _shut up, please!"_ A tall girl with thick, dark curls shouted. "We're officially starting try outs now! As you all know, everything is up for grabs except one of the beaters! That's _me!_ Please don't take any of this personally! I know everyone's going to do great today! Okay! I need everyone to group by position! I want chasers, keepers, seekers, and beaters!" The girl was pointing them into groups. Teddy was suddenly overwhelmed when he saw a flock of upperclassmen cluster together as chasers.

"Ceglinski, Thomas, and Lupin! Get on your brooms, I want to see you three in the air!" She shouted, reading off a list in her hands.

Two seventh years high-fived, laughing. Teddy gripped onto his broomstick and kicked off the ground. However, the broom was very resistant; it was even more worn down than his Uncle Harry's old Firebolt.

The captain called out four more people for the team, and then another seven--specifically given red ties on their arms or brooms to signify that they were the opponents. Fall had come, but had forgotten to grow cooler this year and the sun beat down angrily at the players that were hovering in the air. The bludgers were released first into the air, shooting straight up into the air and diving back down at incredible speeds. A beater swept in front of one of the players and sent it flying back into the sky. The captain on the ground blew a whistle and tossed a quaffle up between two opposing chasers, both of which appeared to be burly seventh year boys. The one from the opposing team batted the ball out of the other's reach and the match began.

With the exception of Teddy and another, the other chasers were showing off, swatting the quaffle around in swift, synchronized motions. The broom jerked as Teddy pushed forward in their dust as the other chasers juggled the quaffle to the hoop. A tall keeper held out her arm, sending the quaffle bouncing back into the air. For better or worse, it bounced off a chaser's arm and went bounding in Teddy's direction. It didn't register with him at first to fly forward and grab it. The worn quaffle almost slipped through his fingers.

Teddy straightened up, clutching it between his palms. He turned his broom around.

"Here! Over here!" Another chaser shouted, holding out her arm. Teddy awkwardly flung it in her direction. He didn't notice that she had a red piece of paper tied around her upper arm. The girl snickered and shot across the field with the quaffle under her arm.

"Sorry!" Teddy shouted at no one in particular. Someone flew by and punched his arm. He didn't know who's team that person was on.

They played round after round, periodically switching out players in random intervals without warning. Teddy's hands were getting blisters and his shoulders and neck were getting sunburned. He only manged to score a few times and he swore he heard Victoire cheering him on. Elena was likely less enthused, but he wasn't exactly looking in their direction. At one point, he got smacked in the head with a quaffle. The bludgers were supposedly "deflated", yet as he and the other players that got knocked around proved, big red welts still arose on their beaten body parts. The only thing that got Teddy through tryouts was the idea that at least he wasn't like the other player that fell off their broom. Or at least, until he was.


	105. Jealous

**AN: Hi, welcome to this really stupid update :)**

"So you get to go to Hogsmeade today, huh?" Victoire asked. She sounded more jealous than she usually did. Teddy wasn't exactly sure why she thought reading the Daily Prophet made her seem so grown up. "Bring me back something from Honeydukes, okay?"

Teddy laughed. "You think my parents actually give me _money?"_

"What if _I_ give you money? I've got an allowance. I was actually trying to save up, but I think I could let it slide. Could you buy me chocolates then?"

"No." Teddy said simply. "You can wait like all the rest of us have to."

"What about _Lena?_ You _promised_ you'd bring her back something."

"Lena's my _sister_ and my parents told me I have to _'be nice'_ to her and all that junk, which is basically code for letting her get what she wants."

"You two are _awful_ to each other, you know that? You really ought to cut it out. You'll regret it one day and realize you spent all this time shoving each other around."

"We don't-"

Victoire interrupted. "You _both_ do this, all the time. I don't get it. Dom and I _never_ fight like this."

"You're so melodramatic." The boy informed her.

"I feel like you don't know what that word means."

"So when did you become a psychiatrist?"

"A what?"

"I dunno, it's like... it's this saying, I suppose, being bossy and nosy and all like you've got it all figured it. It's a muggle joke I stole from Myles."

"You really are mean." She accused. "I'm not bossy or nosy!"

"It was meant to be a joke!" Teddy sighed. "I don't even know why you make such a big deal, honestly, it's not like it's my fault my parents decided to have another kid. I dunno, I guess we're just too... _different._ "

"You didn't used to be like this."

"Yeah, when we were kids and I could actually let her walk on me or else my parents would end up yelling."

Victoire sighed and looked up from the paper. "I _really_ hope Dominique isn't in Hufflepuff. Louis... I could tolerate him on a good day, I suppose, he's friendly enough and he tells good jokes but I don't think Dom would ever shut up. I guess it could be worse though. She could be mean."

"She just doesn't shut up, does she?" Teddy rolled his eyes. He was making a thoughtful face. Victoire still seemed quite offended. "Okay, hear me out. What if..." He leaned closer to her. "What if I tell you there's a way to sneak into Hogsmeade."

"I'd tell you that you're an idiot."

"Hear me out though." Teddy got really quiet. "There are several ways to get to Hogsmeade, actually, but only one got deconstructed after the war. I don't know if I can even get us through it... but if I can..."

"So...?"

 _"So,_ we need to go through it."

"And how would we do that, exactly? since you apparently know everything."

Teddy glanced to both of his sides and took a slow sip of his pumpkin juice. "We'll talk later. And don't wear your robes. I mean, wear _clothes,_ just not your _robes._

After breakfast, Victoire was waiting impatiently outside the Hufflepuff commons in jeans and her yellow sweater. Teddy told her to go back and change because they wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible, to which she rolled her eyes and simply told him to "get off her broom-tail".

"So... how do you know about this exactly?" Victoire asked, following behind Teddy down a long hallway.

"It's complicated." Teddy replied. "We have to get into the room of requirement and-"

"Room of what?"

Teddy paused. "Haven't you read Hogwarts, A History?"

"No? Was I supposed to? Is it for a class?"

"I mean, it's not required, but it's actually a pretty good read-"

"Wait, you mean you actually _read_ Like... _real books?"_

Teddy went to punch her arm, but drew back when he remembered who he was talking to and didn't want her whining the rest of the day. Victoire cackled with laughter. "Yes! I _read!"_

"Good, I almost thought you didn't know how there for a minute." The girl smirked. Teddy's normal brown hair tinged an embarassed reddish colour. "Anyways, room of what?"

"Requirement. There's a portrait there. We climb out of it and walk down the tunnel."

"That's a sentence I didn't think I would hear today." Victoire said. "Okay, so we climb out a tunnel. I- wait, what are doing-" Teddy had abruptly stopped, turned around and paced in the opposite direction. Victoire whipped herself around to follow him. Almost as soon as she did, Teddy spun around and went back the other direction. _"Teddy!"_

"Wait, just-" Teddy glanced up at the brick wall. He turned and walked back the other direction. "There, don't you see it?"

"See what-"

The bricks were transfiguring in front of them and a heavy wooden door appeared. Teddy walked up and jiggled the the doorknob. "Let's see if this worked."

The room was actually a lot smaller than Teddy imagined. It didn't have high ceilings or a long walkway. It looked more like a comfy sitting room, with a warm fireplace. And as he had predicted, there was a portrait of a little blonde girl sitting over the fireplace. She smiled at them. "So... do I really want to ask what wild whim you went on that got you here?" Victoire wondered.

"Help me move that couch." Teddy asked. She wasn't much help, but they managed to get it closer to the fireplace.

"This is a fire hazard." Victoire pointed out as she climbed up onto the cushions. She looked stupid trying to pull herself on top on the mantle. "This cannot be safe."

"You'll be fine." Teddy grabbed her leg and helped push her up. He accidentally groped her when she turned the wrong way. He got really embarassed, but neither of them saisaid anything. Victoire's hand pushed on the painting and it opened for her. She fumbled onto her feet in a cramped stone tunnel that was behind her. He jumped up and pulled his legs behind him. For a second, Teddy paused, his legs pulled up to his chest.

"Are you coming?" Victoire asked. Teddy nodded quietly and followed behind her.

"Yeah. Just thinking." He pulled the portrait shut behind them and pulled out his wand. "Lumos." White light erupted out of the end of his wand.

"Just thinking?" The girl pried. "About?"

"My um... My mum." Teddy replied. "When she came and fought during the war, they had to come through here. All the other entrances were blocked off. And Uncle Harry, he got into the school through here."

"Didn't they go through some guy's house?" Victoire asked skeptically.

"Well, yeah, but he died six years ago or something. The house was marked and is some kind of monument." Teddy told her. "If we get caught, we're going to get in so much trouble..."

"So?" She elbowed him. "Since when have you cared? Maybe you Mum'll get mad. Mine too, I suppose."

"We could lose house points... I _just_ got onto the quidditch team..."

"They won't kick you off the bloody quidditch team." She rolled her eyes. "Come on, this was _your_ idea, wasn't it?"

Teddy glanced behind him. "Yeah, I'm starting to have my doubts."

"Don't." Victoire said lightly. "Thank you, though. For bringing me."

"Oh. Well you're welcome." Teddy shrugged. "It'll just be me and Myles. Maybe you can come back on your own and I'll take the carriage back."

"Are they going to count you missing?"

Teddy shrugged. "I'll just say that it was a mistake. I could probably pull off faking sick and staying behind at the school."

Aberforth Dumbledore's house was vacant as Teddy had predicted. Dried out flowers and leaves were scatter around the girl's portrait as a memorial. Victoire and Teddy tried to step lightly around them and put them back where they were. Rotten notes and pieces of paper were left among them and the remnants of candles. "I always wondered why we never got a statue or anything at the school. I wonder if people even still come here." He pointed out.

Myles was confused and sort of angry when he saw Teddy show up with the younger girl. "You're late. Where were you? We were supposed to ride the carriage over together!" He insisted. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Walked through a secret passage way." Victoire replied. "Sorry about that, though."

Myles huffed. "Well, you look weird walking out of a war vetran's home by yourselves."

"Were we not supposed to?" Victoire asked plainly.

"I suppose you _could,_ but it's a bit _disrespectful_ , isn't it?" Myles remarked.

Teddy rubbed the side of his face. "Hey, who wants a butterbeer?"

xxxxxxx

A girl was standing in front of a mirror in the Slytherin girl's bathroom, examining herself from the side. Elena flushed the toilet inside the stall and stepped out, adjusting her pajama top. She stopped. The girl was tall almost in the sense that Elena was tall, or at least had been told she was tall her whole life as if it was a rarity. She was the kind of girl that wore her black uniform skirt rolled up at the waistband. Her hair was tied back and seemingly was neat and messy at the same time. There was something enticing about her, Elena realized. _She's pretty._ She noticed Elena in her shadow.

"What?" The girl was probably only a couple years older than her brother.

"Sorry." Elena ducked down and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. She tried to steal more subtle looks.

The bathroom door swung open. "Hey, _there you are_. I've been looking for you all day." Another girl of about the same age barged in, sighing. She was just as pretty as the other.

"Sorry about missing you. I woke up late. I didn't _mean_ to." The first one apologized.

"Yeah, no duh. We said we'd get up early and go for a run." The second accused. "The Winter Ball is in, what, four months, remember? And quidditch season has already started. You _are_ going to be able to wear your quidditch robes, right?" Her voice was frustrated, almost mocking her friend.

"You don't have to remind me."

Elena was washing her hands slowly and was trying to not bring herself to their attention. They seemed to notice her, but only out of the corners of their eyes.

"Do you have your dress already?" One asked. "I got mine in the mail today."

"Yeah, I've got it, but I have to go down, like, two sizes to fit in it, though. Definitely no more trips to Honeydukes. And I might as well sleep through breakfast while I still can..." She laughed. "Guess I just won't eat anything until Christmas!"

 _Was she joking?_ Elena felt this was her cue to go. Despite her curiosity, she ran up the steps to her room as fast as she could before collapsing onto her bed, but something was poking her back. Elena sat up to find she was lying on the candy bar her brother had given her. She lifted it up and flipped it over in her hands. For some reason, she had a doubt. She had had a sweet tooth for as long as she could remember... but she hesitated.

The way the older girls were talking was foreign to her. Was _that_ what they did to be pretty? Did that make her ugly? Thinking on it, one of them was dating the Slytherin quidditch co-captain. But they were _older,_ weren't they? And that was _their_ problem. Elena liked food too much, and they would have to be insane if they were being serious. But even as Elena finished her sweets, she couldn't help but wonder if being that light kept them off the ground easier. Maybe that was the secret.


	106. Plummet

"I didn't mean to!" Elena shouted, her arms crossed across her chest. No one was talking about her braced wrists. The third year had mud matted her long brown ponytail. Her bottom lip was cut. Her bright green Slytherin quidditch robes were also covered in dirt and she was still clutching her broomstick in the crook of her elbow.

Tonks was rubbing her face. "You didn't mean to..." She huffed.

Elena stared at her brother. His right arm and foot were heavily casted beneath his blood and dirt soaked yellow Hufflepuff quidditch robes. His face was bruised, swollen and bloody and he was clearly unconscious. His blue hair had become a sick, sleepy brown.

Thunder cracked outside and the golden gaslights shuddered and rattled. The room was otherwise filled with silence except for Madam Pomfrey shuffled from bed to bed with bandages and potions.

"Tonks..." A breathless voice sighed, walking through the door. Harry Potter, half-wet with crooked glasses, came stumbling in. "I came as soon as I could. What happened? Where's Remus?"

"Remus couldn't get out of bed today." Tonks said soft enough that her daughter could barely hear.

"Wait, is he okay?" Harry cut her off. "Tonks, what's wrong with-"

"That's not what we're talking about." Tonks closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Elena, tell Uncle Harry what happened to your brother."

Elena swallowed uncomfortably. "I... might have... accidentally hit him... in the face... with a bludger. Accidentally! I was just trying to knock him around... but it was raining and I couldn't see and-"

"You did knock him off, though." Her mother sighed. "Fifty feet out of the air, right onto the pitch."

The aurors exchanged looks. Harry nodded. "Right. I'm assuming he'll make a full recovery, however? Then there's not much to worry about. But are you two... arguing again? You and Teddy?"

Elena shook her head. "I just... I just wanted to win." She stared at her godfather. "He was about to score and I... I had to stop him. I didn't cheat or something. I didn't try to hit him in the face. I didn't mean for him to plummet the way he did... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Harry looked to Tonks. "He broke his jaw, his nose, and two other bones in his face. Plus his arm and his leg." She informed him. "He'll be out of classes for the rest of the week, but... that's all."

"I wasn't trying to kill him or something!" Elena demanded. "I just tried to hit him."

"We don't think you were trying to kill him." Tonks replied. "But McGonagall... she said perhaps... perhaps you need to take the week off, as well. We... think you should get away from the school for a few days."

"What? No, you can't do that! I have class! And tests! I have to practice! We have to have enough points to qualify for the cup. It's-"

"Elena." Tonks snapped. "You need to stop. Just... stop and listen for a second. We'll take your homework with us, so you can study."

The girl sucked up air into her chest, her fists clenching. Nausea rushed over her, her face burning painfully red. She wasn't just angry, she was pissed. She wanted to scream, she wanted to kick them out. She wanted to demand to know why they decided to embarrass her like this. She wanted to run to her dorm, throw herself on her bed and cry. Elena wanted to pretend that she didn't see the quidditch captain in the bed opposite her brother. There was going to be a rematch, but only because Hufflepuff had insisted that their win was under questionable circumstances. "So I'm being suspended?"

"It won't go on your permanent record." Her mother said. "It's a cool down."

There wasn't any use fighting. "I'll go pack my bag then." Elena grumbled, trotting off with her broomstick.

Elena wasn't gone long when a blonde fourth year Hufflepuff girl and a large Slytherin fifth year boy with choppy hair and freckles. "Auntie Dora?" The girl cleared her throat. "Uncle Harry?"

"Vic," Tonks nodded. "We were hoping we'd see you around for a visit. The house, I mean. Not like this We didn't see you for most of the summer, did we?"

"Is he... okay?" She wondered. "He's going to be able to keep playing, right?"

"He'll be alright, love." Tonks told her. "Elena's... coming home for the weekend."

"She's suspended?"

"She's um... she needs a break, for a bit."

Victoire cringed. "Auntie, I'm so sorry. I think it's my fault. It is my fault. I made her angry. It's Teddy and me, we-"

Tonks shook her head. "Vic, it's okay. This was... unfortunate, but we're all okay now." She turned to Harry. "A bloody nose and a half later..."

"Is Lena still going to get to play?" Victoire asked curiously. "They're going to let her, right? You are?"

"I need to talk with Remus. He doesn't know yet." Tonks crossed her arms. "We knew it was a bad idea putting her on a broom, but we suspected it would be her getting critically injured."

Victoire was hesitantly making her way around the bed. Myles seemed frozen in his place, his face a strawberry colour. She sat down on the edge of the mattress. "I'm sorry." She told Tonks. "I made Elena angry. That's why she hit him. We were at Hogsmeade last weekend and-"

Tonks shook her head. She had a thoughtful expression on her face. "Victoire, whatever the three of you are... fighting over, what Lena did was wrong and no matter what you think you did to provoke her. She got a foul, she had malicious intention when she swung."

"Do you want me to go check on her?" Myles offered. "I mean, make sure she's going to her dorm?"

"She can take care of herself. It's alright." Tonks assured him. "It'll just be a couple of days and she'll be back to her classwork. As for Teddy, I suppose this is Madam Pomfrey's domain and we ought to let her get this sorted out. He should be good as new in a few days, so try not to do too much worrying about him, okay?"

Vicoire reached out to rub Teddy's good hand. "We'll leave him alone to rest, then. Maybe we could make him a card or something so he knows we came by."

Myles challenged this. "But-"

"But nothing. It's fine, Myles." Victoire told him. "He's got to get better."

Harry glanced around the room and nodded. "If that's it then, Tonks, can we have a quick word before I head off?" Tonks nodded and followed him out to the hallway, leaving the other two teenagers to mingle with their friend before they inevitably got kicked out. "Are you okay? Why's Remus sick?"

Tonks stammered. "He's just- Remus just-"

"Is he getting worse? Please be honest with me." Harry asked.

Tonks shook her head. "I couldn't come alone. McGonagall talked to me and it was fine, but I didn't want to be alone here. I thought... you're probably the closest thing to being his dad besides Remus."

Harry wasn't exactly satisfied with her answer. "How bad is he? Remus?"

"He didn't feel well this morning." Harry wasn't going to let her stop there. "They've got him on this new medicine... he's been throwing up acid and... I can barely get him to drink water and keep it down, and he didn't need to be here right now, he has no business here." Her voice cracked. Harry knew that behind her facade, she was on the verge of losing her mind. She would come to family dinners alone sometimes. Her hair was becoming less and less colourful, except for the streak of regrown hair she kept dyed to cover up her scars. Her expression was dreamy and lost and her speech was even slow, like she was thinking moment to moment.

"Do you need anything?" He asked.

"Nope." She said quickly. "No, but thank you."

Harry chose to pry at her. "Have the, er, healers told him anything new? He's not making a turn?"

"He's okay. Just okay." Tonks replied. "Nothing new."

Harry invited her for a hug and she accepted. "Please owl me. Send me a patronus, I don't care. But let me know if Ginny and I can help you all."

"We will." Tonks said.

"Please. You won't bother us. And if you need off work, just-"

"It's okay." Tonks reassured. "We will let you know."

Elena came around the corner with an armful of schoolbooks and parchment. "McGonagall left me a list of assignments, so I don't have to check i with my teachers."

"Good." Her mother pulled back from Harry. "You need to shower. We'll figure out how to talk to Dad, and Teddy when he wakes up."

"Am I grounded? Or is this...?"

"Haven't decided yet." Tonks replied simply. "McGonagall said we could floo from her office. I didn't tell your father where I am, and he's likely worried."

"Okay." Elena said sheepishly. "Bye, Uncle Harry." She was almost frightened to leave his protective watch, sure that her mother was waiting to bore into her at any minute.

xxxxx

"Remus?" Tonks called. She was nervous and was about to drop the dinner plates and silverware as she set the table. "We're ready to eat dinner. If you'd like, we could try some soup again and see if you keep it down."

"I'll... I'll be there in a second!" He called from the other room. There was loud coughing.

Tonks's eyes were glassy and fogged over. "I... guess I'll be save you a plate then." She mumbled, setting his placemat.

Elena stared down at the table. Her hair was still in wet strands hanging on her shoulders. "Mum?" She stared at the ceramic plate. She anticapted yelling that never came. Instead, Tonks had become heavy and quiet with disappointment. "I don't think I'm that hungry. Can I just go to bed?"

"Are you okay?" Her mother asked softly. "Lena, what's wrong? What's got you so upset today?"

"Nothing." She said softly, pushing herself away from table. "I'm fine."

"Lena." Tonks said firmly.

"I said I'm fine-"

"What's gotten into you? You've never acted like this before."

"Maybe it's because you never let me!" Elena raised her voice. She shot up out of her chair. "You never let me feel bad! You never let me feel anything! I'm always supposed to be nice. I'm supposed to be nice when my brother goes off and decides to snog my best friend every bloody chance he gets! I'm supposed to just be nice and stick around while they hold hands and go to Hogsmeade together! It'd be weird and you'd let him complain all day long if I went off and dated Myles!"

"Do not raise your voice at me, young lady, I-"

"I'm not hungry." Elena announced. She shoved her plate away from her so hard that it almost fell in the floor.

"Elena?" Remus asked. He was weakly clutching onto the wall. "What are you doing here? Why are you shouting at your mother?" Elena took one look at him and walked out of the kitchen. Her footsteps were heavy as she ran upstairs to her room. Tonks slumped over onto her arms, hiding her face. "Dora? What's going on?" She just shook her head.


	107. Valentine

"Are you owling in to work again?" Tonks asked curiously. It had become a habit of hers that every morning when they got up, she would fix tea, adding a mild, diluted soothing potion to Remus's cup. But given how much of a lightweight he was, he was often groggy the whole day when she gave it to him and he wouldn't be able to be readily on his feet. He hadn't gone in to work for a couple of days now. Remus wouldn't have told her that he didn't like that she was slowing him down, simply because she only wanted him to get better and knowing that was never quite going to get that idea out of her head broke his heart. She beat through the barricade of pill and potion bottles that had been strewn about on the counter to find the one she needed. It seemed like every time Tonks turned around, averaging no more than two and a half months, the hospital would start a new treatment before she could dispose of the unused medicine, so she just gave up and started a collection. Just about half of the apothecary was there, Remus had joked.

"No, it's Saturday. I'll go in this afternoon and I'll be closing tonight." Remus said as if it was obvious.

Tonks retreated and screwed the lid back on the bottle. There was no point in protesting. "Are you going to be okay at work? Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay home? I'm only offering because I don't want you to be miserable."

"I'll be fine to go in." said Remus. "I'm writing to the kids."

"Oh." She brought his his cup of tea and sat down at her place at the table beside him with her own. "Good thing we're up early then. Should get there during breakfast."

"I believe Lena's got a game next weekend. I'll make put in a good word for her. She's likely working hard, as I'm sure she should she should, I just hope she doesn't kill herself with all of those drills."

"I almost feel bad that Teddy quit playing last fall, but I don't think he was every really happy, was he?" Tonks reminiced. "I suppose it simply took a... you, know... bludger... to the face to come to that conclusion."

"You say that like you were the queen of the quidditch pitch or something." Remus sipped his drink.

"Right..." Tonks rolled her eyes. "Is it a Hogsmeade weekend? I can't remember."

"It's Valentine's day, of course it is."

Tonks was smiling about something to herself. "Oh of course. All the smitten heart-eyed couples will be flooding to Madam Puddifoot's for tea... I remember I had a boyfriend take me there once when I was in school, though he also spent the whole time trying to shove his tongue down my mouth. Certainly memorable, I can say that."

"Did I really need to know all that?" Her husband asked, writing something down on the parchment.

"All I'm saying is, maybe we say a blessing or something for poor Victoire."

"I'm sure they can handle themselves just fine."

This seemed to bury and wiggle into her mind. She was thinking up something. "You know, it's been about four months, do you think they've kissed yet?"

"Dora, I don't think that's any of our business, is it?" Remus asked. Though he found it quite amusing when his wife became excited talking about Teddy and Victoire, she was quite nosy about things.

"I care to disagree! It is _very much_ my business, whether he's been messing around or otherwise, and with whom." Tonks defended. "They at least need to be taking care of themselves. You know..."

Remus's face flushed bright red. "They're _fifteen_ and you sound like your mother!"

"Yeah, and what were _you_ doing at fifteen?"

"What were _you?"_ Remus couldn't be disturbed, nor angry. She was hard to argue with about the simple things when she had her hands on her hips like a child pretending to be grown up. He tried to suppress his smile. "I think the two of them are very mature and can handle themselves just fine, so don't go and start driving yourself mad with worry, darling." He glanced over his letter thoughtfully. "Mm, hey, Dor?"

 _"Mm, hey, what?"_ Tonks replied, busying herself by buttering a piece of toast.

"Are we doing anything for Valentine's day?"

"I dunno. Do you want to? Let me rephrase that, are you feeling up to it?"

"Are you?"

"Remus," His wife was suddenly overcome with worry. _"_ _You have_ tell _me_ if you're feeling up to doing something. Besides, what would we even do?"

"We could just go out for a bit. Walk around. It's bloody freezing, but it's not raining and the snow's mostly gone." Remus softly suggested. Tonks didn't say anything for a moment. "We don't do much of that very often."

She pondered her answer carefully, abandoning the breakfast on her plate. Her hand reached over and she lovingly caressed his face. No fever. "Your colour looks better, I suppose." That was something she always said, simply because it made her feel better when it was true. It was such a meaningless thing yet she wanted to say it because it meant that maybe he _was_ feeling better. Maybe they _were_ seeing the potions at work.

"I'm feeling fine." Remus told her. He tilted his head and leaned in closer to her.

Tonks ever-so-gently pressed a kiss on his lips, but she didn't pull away from him. Her hands brushed through his hair. There were too many unspoken words lingering around that both wanted to say, and things they wanted to do, but neither had the gall to act. "I know you are, but what if you don't feel better later?"

"Dora, your hair's all going to go grey if you keeping thinking like this." He replied, pecking her on the lips. "I thought that was my responsibility."

When she had had both of their kids, Remus had been the typical overprotective mate. If she as much as thought about lifting anything, there he was, right over her shoulder to remind her that she couldn't. When she felt bad, he was always there, insisting she take something. He would do anything and everything to protect her and even after the kids were born, he was still overly protective of her. It annoyed every nerve inside of her, but she knew it was only because it was the only way he knew how to express how much he loved her. And now it was her turn. She went to as many appointments as she could, memorizing the names of the healers, the treatments, and what times he was due for each pill or potion. She had an organized system made just to remind him when to take things. Tonks knew all of the symptoms and she knew exactly what to look for in him to make sure she owled St. Mungo's on time. And for his sake, whatever doubts she was having about the hospital's methods, she kept her mouth shut. Maybe plain Wolfbane would have bought him more time, but he would always tell her that this was for the "greater good." For all the other werewolves that would come after him, feral or otherwise. Tonks made herself trust the method. She made herself become dedicated to it. Even if it ran Remus up the wall, by god, she was going to take care of him.

"I don't mind, honestly." Tonks shook her head, cupping his face in her hands.

Remus gently combed his fingers through her hair. "I miss it, from when you used to wear it pink. All the time, really."

"I'm tired is all." His wife replied.

"Maybe you could use a sleep potion." Remus pulled back, glancing up towards the kitchen counter. "Come to think of it, I've probably got at least three different potions you can choose from. Were you thinking light nap or verge of being comatose?"

That made her laugh. "I think I'm good."

xxxxx

 _"Everyone else_ is going to Madam Puddifoot's." Victoire cooed as she adjusted her scarf before interlocking her fingers around Teddy's.

He didn't mind having her hang on his arm. Teddy actually liked having her around. "And since when exactly have you wanted to be like everyone else?"

"I just want to have a cute boyfriend that takes me to go do cute things so that we can say that we did." She coerced. "Is that too much to ask?"

"Would it be a cute boyfriend thing to do if I take you to the Slug Club's Valentine's dinner?" He asked.

"Absolutely," Victoire smiled. "Lena's going to be there, right?"

"Are you two talking again?"

She sighed. "Not really. I honestly don't even know what I did to her. I've been nothing but nice to her since we started dating. I've gone out of my way repeatedly to get her to hang out with me, alone. She won't have it.

"She's jealous." Teddy replied simply, squeezing her hand. "You've got a boyfriend and she doesn't, and it's her brother. You got to go to the Christmas ball and she didn't."

"I mean, she threw my Christmas present away. She could at least be grateful." Victoire scoffed.

His hair was beginning to tinge a red colour. "It's like she gets everything she wants, but if I have _anything_ that makes me happy, it's my fault."

"Hey," She said softly. "Don't give her the benefit of getting angry, okay?"

Teddy leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

xxxxx

Slughorn's classroom had the desks all pushed up against the walls. Enchanted yellow lights bobbed just above the ceiling beneath a disturbing opulence of red, pink, and white streamers. Soft music was playing. Teddy and Victoire were probably not supposed to be drinking firewhiskey. Their cheeks were flushed and the two of them giggled to themselves off in the corner. They kissed. It was almost disgusting.

"We're not going to talk about what just happened." Elena said in a low growl. Her eyes were fixed on the other girl. She was so short and slim, and her blonde hair was long and smooth, Elena could almost pretend she didn't know how much gel she had used. She had on a gold dress that made her look like she had curves that weren't there and showed off her legs. How come she got all the veela genes? What did Elena get? A half-werewolf gene? The inability to walk up a flight of steps without getting winded, inopportune nosebleeds, and dwinding hearing-loss? Victoire probably ate whatever she wanted and didn't even do pushups, while Elena did dozens of reps a day, and Elena hadn't eaten all day to look good in her dress, but-

"I thought... I thought the whole point was to upset Teddy?" Myles's face was a terrible pale colour as he wrecked her train of thought.

"Change of plans." Elena's nose was still pink from crying. Her eyes searched the room for other members of the quidditch team. They were there, of course, congregated together with either their hips pressed on their boyfriends or with a tight grip around their girlfriends' waists, talking and... was that supposed to be dancing? Of course Lena had no shot with any older students or anyone on the Hufflepuff team. The next best thing: Myles. But things had gotten a bit... out of hand in the Slytherin boys' dorm. She meant to leave him at kissing, but things got reckless. Myles had enough sense to catch on and stop things once her dress got unzipped, but now, neither of them was particularly pleased to have the other as a date.

"I'm sorry, Lena." Myles mumbled, adjusting his tie.

"Don't-" Not only had she embarrassed herself physically, but she had divulged too many of her thoughts and feelings to the boy. She would never be able to take what she said back.

"Lena!" The other Slytherin beater approached her, the Ravenclaw seeker on her arm. He was holding their drinks and she held out two glasses of firewhiskey to them. "Is this your... boyfriend... or...?"

"Friend." Elena laughed nervously. "Sorry, I don't want any."

"I don't drink." Myles blurted out.

"Yes you do." Elena said, snatching up the drinks from her pearly-smiled friend. Her hands were shaking. "Thanks."

"You can come dance if you'd like." The invitation was left open as the other Slytherin girl walked away.

"I don't drink." Myles repeated. Elena desperately made him take the drink from her, but he didn't drink any. She wasn't sure what to do anymore.


	108. Fair

Teddy rolled up his sleeves and switched on the faucet of the kitchen sink. "It's not fair. If I was anywhere as sick as Lena, you'd never even think about letting me go out." He stuck his hand under the water and winced.

"Like what?" Remus rolled up his own sleeves and picked up the dirty dishes, beginning to scrub off the residue from dinner.

Teddy picked up a sponge beside the sink. "You let her play quidditch." He remarked. "I mean, she's always gotten all of the attention. You and Mum fawn over everything she does, but you couldn't care less what I do."

"You had every opportunity to continue to play quidditch." His father said firmly. "We simply thought you didn't want to."

"She hit me in the face with a bludger! All because I'm dating Victorie! And you _still_ let her play. But I would never hear the end of it if I as much as knocked into her broom." The boy was visibly frustrated, scrubbing at the clean dishes with the sponge. Magic could never possibly be this therapeutic. "It's been a while freaking year and she's still pis- _ticked off."_

"Teddy, we talked this over. It was an accident. She didn't mean to hurt you the way she did."

"Yes she did! Dad, you _always_ do this."

"Always do what?" Remus asked.

"You always side with her. She's always been the one to get all of the love and attention no matter what she does and I get yelled at because of my grades or because I don't pick up my laundry. You never listen to me! I'm telling you, _she was trying to hurt me,_ but you never listen to me!"

"Teddy, I'm listening right now."

"How come she always only gets slaps on the wrist for things? She could go out..." Teddy sighed

"Let's say she could get her whole face pierced and you all would just... sigh at her?"

His father glanced over at him. It was a bit surprising to see that Teddy had pierced his own ears since Christmas, but it wasn't exactly shocking or out of the ordinary. He wasn't trying to be rebellious, even. But Tonks gave him quite the earful on the way home about not telling them or properly taking care of them. "The only reason Mum got angry was because you could have torn your ear or gotten an infection, at best. You could have ended up like George."

The boy huffed. "I just pierced my ears, not battled death eaters."

"But you used magic to mutilate yourself. There's a lot of risk in that."

He didn't answer his father at first. "I know."

"It didn't hurt too bad, did you? You didn't cause unnecessary suffering? You weren't bleeding a lot or...?"

"No. I'm okay."

The two of the washed dishes quietly for a while. Remus sighed loudly. "So, your fifth year is over, huh? You'll be getting your OWLs back in a few weeks." Teddy nodded quietly. "I know you've probably been talking with Professor Sprout about what you plan on studying next year, and the year after, so you can prepare for a job. We've briefly discussed this, and I know we agreed that Mum and I wouldn't bother you about being undecided if you made good grades so that you would have plenty of options."

"I worked really hard." Teddy informed him. He didn't falter, but part of him was upset that maybe he could have studied harder. Maybe he didn't need to go to Hogsmeade. Maybe he could have stayed awake more in class or organized his notes better.

"I don't doubt you." His father assured. "But I hope you've been thinking of some careers you might like."

Teddy swallowed the hard knot in his throat. "Yeah, I have."

They continued washing dishes quietly. "It's okay if you haven't."

"I um, I mean, I have." The boy nodded.

"So what are you thinking about?"

"I... Dad, I was wondering... what do you think about me being an auror?"

That was possibly the _last_ answer Remus was anticipating, alongside potioneer or Minister for Magic. It even took him a moment to process this. "An auror? Where has _that_ come from?"

Teddy didn't exactly look at him. "I... dunno."

"Is it because of your mother? Or did Uncle Harry give you the idea?"

"No, it's because of me."

"Then what makes you want to be an auror?"

"I don't... I guess I don't want to work in an office all the time. I want to _use_ magic." Teddy said. "My grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts should be good enough. I wasn't the most active member of the Dueling Club last year, but I could probably run for office next year."

"You know, there are plenty safer and more secure jobs _that_ you can be on your feet, using magic besides being an auror." Remus persuaded. "International magic trading's been on the rise over the past decade. And the Department of Transportation is always looking for new employees, and not because they have a bad turnover rate."

"I know, but... I want to... I _would like_ to be an auror."

Remus was scrubbing the dishes with a bit more intent now. "You'll be working for your mother, you know that right? It'll take several years of training and testing before you even enter the field. You'll have to pass your boards, and all the annual... I think they're annual, the certifications. And you'll even be spending a lot of time at a desk with paperwork, especially for the first few years until you establish yourself. It'll be vital with your ability to shapeshift that you hone in on your disguise abilities on the field, which is fine, but they're going to send you on missions that you're going to have very little say in. You'll...you'll be in situations that mean life or death."

Teddy didn't know what to say. Most of what his father said, he had picked up from his parents' conversation, but he hadn't given it much thought. "I know."

"I feel like you don't." His father sighed. "I understand that this is something that you think you can prepare for, but until you see death first hand out there, you aren't going to comepletely understand."

This made Teddy protest. "I get that you and Mum have been through a lot, but-"

"But nothing, son. We've been out there and we've seen our friends and family die in a war that you weren't even alive for." Remus said. "Being an auror means that you have to learn to handle and live with things like this on a daily basis. Even without the war, there are still people who do bad things who are still out there. There are still many kill-or-be-killed instances that you're going to run into."

"Right." Teddy nodded.

"In complete honesty, I don't think that being an auror is the right path for you." His father told him. "I've almost lost your mother a dozen of times on missions, and I really don't think that I need to lose you as well."

"Dad-" The boy stopped himself, staring down at the bubbly water as it circled the drain.

Remus turned to look at him. "Teddy, your mother and I very much care about what you do, and we don't want to see anything bad happen to you."

xxxxx

Elena balled up a t-shirt and threw it as hard as she could down into the hamper. "It's not fair." She grumbled.

Tonks was sitting on her bed, sorting out her laundry. "What's not fair?"

She shrugged. "I wish I could morph like you."

"Why is that?" Tonks didn't look up from the socks, but there was visible concern on her face.

"I wish I was more like Victoire." Her mother glanced up and sighed. "I mean, she's only like, one-eighth veela, how come she's so pretty?" Elena defended.

"One-fourth, I think. You're very pretty, Elena. And you're taller than her, if that makes you feel better."

"I wish I wasn't tall."

"Oh come on now, why do you think that? I wish I had your height."

"Just because I'm tall doesn't mean I'm pretty."

"Elena, you need to stop talking about yourself like that."

"It's easy for you to say that. You can make yourself as pretty as you want."

"No I can't." Tonks said, half in awe. "You know that, right? I could have your aunt Fleur down to the freckle and I'd never be as pretty as her. A little bit of veela goes a long way. They're just like that, and I'm sure they would both greatly appreciate it if you acknowledged that they have a lot more going for them than just their looks. That's not a standard you need to be holding people up to."

"Well she's smarter than me."

"What makes you say that? Have _you_ seen her report card?"

"No. But I know she gets good grades. And she's in better classes than me."

"She's older and she's allowed to. Her test scores are probably no better than yours. You're smart. You're _plenty_ smart, love. You're so much more than pretty."

"But I'm _not._ I just... if I could have anything in the world, I would just... wish I was pretty, like her."

"Elena, being pretty alone won't ever get you very far." Tonks said simply. "You're good at quidditch. You're plenty smart and you like to read. You've got... let's see, I think your last report card said you were over and Exceeding Expectations, if my math's correct. You'd probably be making O's on some of your OWLs. That's more than enough than what you need to get a good job somewhere, one day."

Elena just gave a half shrug to herself. She knelt down and started digging stuff out of her trunk.

"Elena," Tonks looked up from the bed. "Look at me for a second."

The girl dragged her eyes up towards her mother. "Yeah?"

"You don't have to have a boyfriend to be a good person. You don't need someone to validate that for you." Her mother held out her hand and Elena shuffled over towards her, holding onto her hands. "I love you, Lena. And I hope that maybe you can find some way to learn to be happy with yourself."

"I could use a glamour charm." The girl suggested.

Tonks laughed and shook her head. "Those don't work, pumpkin."

"Mum?" Elena asked. She still couldn't quite bring herself to look at her mother. "Did you ever feel like... like something's wrong with you?"

"Like what?"

"Like..." She pursed her lips. "Like Teddy's got all these friends and a pretty girlfriend and he's just... likable. I feel so weird and awkward, like I'm broken or something."

"You're not broken." Tonks told her.

"Sometimes... sometimes I see my friends and they've got boyfriends or whatever, and I feel jealous like I'm never going to have that, but I... I also feel like I know I don't really want that. I just wish I had more people that paid attention to me." Elena confessed.

Tonks rubbed her thumbs over her hands. "Tell you what, you could start by writing your friends over the summer. And try and fix things with Victoire. And next fall, you could join some clubs or maybe start a study group... and just... figure out what kinds of friends you like. How does that sound?" Elena nodded quietly. "It's going to be okay, love."


	109. The Lake

**AN: Hello and welcome to another fast paced update. So I will be going on a trip in just a couple of weeks, for a little over a month. I'm trying to finish this story before I go/as I get there, so I don't have to worry about abandoning it. My outline includes roughly ten-fifteen more chapters at most, so hang tight and thank you for reading! Also, this chapter picks up a year and a few months after the last chapter ( Teddy is 7th, Victoire 6th, Elena 5th)**

Whoever thought that having a last hour History of Magic class for seventh year on a Friday would be productive, was probably an idiot. No one was paying attention to the lecture, half of the ones that actually showed up were asleep, and two were having a paper ball fight in the back with a crowd of spectators.

Teddy had his head on his arm. His notes had been forgotten and he was scratching a black mass of ink into the page. He scratched at his ear. His parents' nagging and the school dress code hadn't exactly stopped him from getting several more ear piercings (they didn't even know about the tattoo and wouldn't know where to begin with it). His mother stopped protesting after his did his nose, which inevitably got infected and left a small, rough scar on the side of his nostril. Most of his look was to take away from the fact that his hair hadn't been anything brighter that a dull indigo for weeks. Slowly, his hair was growing more and more black and he didn't know how to stop it.

The bell rang. It was a quiet rattling noise on this hallway, but all of the seventh years flew up onto their feet before Professor Binns could dismiss them. Teddy scooped up his stuff off the floor and joined the herd of students trying to cram themselves through the door.

Elena Lupin was loitering in the hallway, her arms crossed over her chest. She had dyed the ends of her hair blonde over the summer and a shiny, new prefect badge was clipped on her tie, which gave her a lot more freedom than before, but she had no idea was to do with it. "Teddy," She said, walking to catch up with him. "Wanted to talk to you about something."

"Yeah, what's up?" Teddy replied.

"Sorry, as prefect it's my job to report students who pose a threat to themselves or others." Elena said in a fake snobby voice. "It seems, Mr. Lupin, you're looking a bit too _goth_ today. I'm going to have to ask you to tone it down."

"Don't you have a _job_ to be doing?"

"Well yeah, but not really." Elena shrugged. He elbowed her side. He smiled and turned his face away from her. "What! It's not like I _chose_ to be prefect. Hey, I saw that! And don't make me tell Victoire about you."

"Tell Victoire _what?"_ Teddy rolled his eyes.

"That you're being a Negative-Nancy." Elena chimed. "I'll do it."

"Good then, I guess." Teddy shrugged. "You just go ahead and let her know."

xxxxx

It was the middle of lunch that he realized she wasn't kidding. Naturally, Victoire had hand-concocted one of her ideas to try and cheer him up (these often included things like trying to get into locked classrooms for purposes that only to Victoire seem important, like the time she attempted to smuggle out and raise a mandrake). Teddy's ideas personally included a lot more snogging than what Victoire's plans often did ("I don't understand why you would want to kiss me right now." She had said once, amongst their excursions. "You do know that it takes both hands to hold a knarl." Teddy was just glad it wasn't a blast-ended screwt.) Victoire pressed her nose against her boyfriend's ear. "So we're walking to the lake tonight." She murmured, reaching over to hold his hand

"The lake?" Teddy asked, taking a huge bite of mashed potatoes. "To do what?"

"Go swimming."

"Who's 'we'?" He asked skeptically. "And why exactly should I think you're not scheming something actually dangerous?"

"Just you, me, your sister... Myles and Dominique."

"What? Naked or something?"

"No! In our _underwear,_ nasty." She punched his arm. Teddy reeled back in. "I don't suppose you brought anything else, did you?"

"Oh yeah, like I totally want to see Lena without clothes on?" Teddy cut his eyes at her.

 _"You haven't?"_

"No, you _weirdo."_

"Oh, I guess it's just a girl thing, then."

"You mean to tell me you look at your sister naked?"

"Not _purposefully_. It's not like it's my fault she walks into my room half dressed."

"Okay, so, gross. Why are we doing this?"

"Because we can. Because it's your last year here." Victoire told him.

"Since when have you been the rule breaker?"

"Since you snuck me in Hogsmeade."

"What about Lena? She's a prefect. She could get in big trouble, or worse, end up losing a spot on a pro quidditch team."

"We've got the map, right? Myles probably won't get in the water, he can keep watch." She suggested. "It'll be fine."

Teddy just shrugged and shook his head. "Fine."

"Fine." She smiled pleasantly.

xxxxx

They met up at about ten-thirty, after the teachers finished their final nightly sweeps. Myles really didn't want to be there, but he seemed plenty amused being the lookout for their expedition. "Can you two make any more noise?" Victoire demanded as they trudged along the trail that wrapped around the edge of the forbidden forest to the backside of the lake. Elena and Dominique were ahead, snickering about something. Myles was trailing in the middle of the pairs with the light and the map.

"Shh shh," Dominique laughed, hanging on her friend's arm. With the exception of the single lit wand, the five of them were stumbling awkwardly through the dark.

"Hey, so what's our plan if the giant squid decides he's hungry?" Teddy asked. "I mean, there are plenty of things out here ready to attack us for no reason."

"What? And just let it eat the rest of us? Obviously we're pushing you in the water and running." Elena remarked.

"Or, I dunno, what about the spiders? Or the mere-people? Ooh, I dunno, or a centaur tribe?"

"Oh no, or the werewolves!" Elena shouted, darting forward on the path. She didn't get far in the darkness. Dominique ran after her, laughing.

"Shh!" Victoire continued to glare at the girls.

"Hey, you're more werewolf than me!" Teddy called.

"Oh shut up!"

"Stop being so loud." Victoire urged. They group walked around an old oak tree and up onto the bank on the water. "Alright, Myles, if you want to camp out right here. Teddy, I guess just get undressed here. Should we like... go behind the tree or something, or does it not matter, or-"

"Vic, this was _your_ idea." Elena rolled her eyes. She grabbed Dominique's hand and dragged her to the other side of the tree. "Let's separate our stuff in case we have to make a run for it."

"Run where? The fucking _woods,_ Elena?" Teddy demanded.

"Please tell me if you come up with something better!"

"Somehow, this feels like a stupid idea." Teddy remarked as he pulled off his sweatshirt and the t-shirt underneath.

"Don't be such a spoil sport!" Victoire replied, pulling off her t-shirt. She always had nice underwear, Teddy thought.

Elena was beginning to get creative as she took each step, sharp rocks jabbed the soles of her feet and she let out a new, never-heard-before curse word. Teddy noticed how pale and almost sick she looked. He was actually shocked when he saw what she was wearing. "Does Mum know you own those?" Teddy asked. Elena tried to pull down her panties, but there simply wasn't enough fabric to do so.

"No she doesn't, thank you very much for asking!" Elena replied, wincing as she was up to her knees with water.

"You don't think anyone from the dungeons can see us right now, right?" Dominique asked. She had on a tank top on with her underwear, and she continued to self consciously yank it down to cover her backside.

"There's too much algae. And the windows are too deep down to swim to without drowning. And they're also on the other side of the lake." Dominique came running into the water beside her, kicking up her leg to splash her. Elena gasped. _"Do not-"_

"Shhh!" Victoire scolded. She wrapped her arm around Teddy's. Her eyes followed their way up to his shoulder where his tattoo was. It depicted three tiny dragons, a Swedish Short Snout, a Peruvian Vipertooth, and a Hungarian Horntail, all fixed firmly in their places on his skin, yet they were chasing each other, smoke blowing out of their nostrils. He chose to keep from enchanting it, yet there was still something fluid about them, something that made them feel alive. They circled each other with their wide wings and sharps claws, nipping at each others' tails. "Lena knows about that, right? Dominique won't say anything, but Lena-"

"Oh sure." Teddy replied quietly, leading her down the rocks. "She won't say anything. Or else, I'd tell Mum what really happened that time she passed out in Potions and blamed it on there being too many fumes. Or when she did that and was at quidditch practice. Or that whole thing she had with Dominique." Dominique and Elena has their hands on each other's arms, half-hugging and laughing. There was something different about it though, like they were too close or too personal. Victoire sunk into the water and Teddy followed her. It was almost too cold, and deep enough that he could rest himself on his legs. His girlfriend curled up against his chest, sitting on his lap. They were barely out of earshot from the other girls. "Do they, um, do you think they are... I know that that whole thing was just because of us? I know you and Lena didn't talk for about a year. Are they happy? I mean, were they, I guess?"

"I don't know." Victoire smiled. "They're allowed to be happy just like we're allowed to be happy. It's a two way street, but... I dunno, they're still so close, even after the split. They do seem happy and that's all that matters."

"Mmhm." Teddy simply nodded, holding the girl tighter in his arms.

"Hey, are you okay?" Victoire asked.

"Yeah, I guess."

"No, you're not." She sighed. "Come one now, what's wrong?"

"It's... Vic, I don't think you want to hear it." Teddy replied.

She was gently cupping water with her hand and pouring it on his arm. "Not all news is good news. What's going on?"

"It's..." It sounded painful for Teddy to talk about. "My dad. The um... the healers told him he... well he has about a year left before he just... shuts down completely. My mum said she doesn't know if he'll be able to go to my graduation next summer."

Victoire was at a loss for words. "I'm so sorry, Teddy. This is awful. This is worse than anything I could have imagined... a year, you said?"

"He'll be having his last Christmas this year." Teddy nodded. "And his last birthday. He just celebrated my mum's last birthday with him. Lena and I'll get another birthday, but he might not get to see him and mum's anniversary. It's... fine, I guess. I don't know." It was very much not fine. His fists were clenching back and forth with frustration.

"Teddy..." Victoire said softly. "Look, I know there's not much you can do to save him, but... did you at least ask to visit him frequently? You can ask to go home. Hell, your teachers love you. You could _mail in_ your assignments. You shouldn't be here."

"Mum said she would make us come, but she wouldn't make us stay, so... I've thought about it." Teddy replied. "I'm going to make sure we can go home on some weekends and stuff. It'd be easy to just floo home."

"Does... Lena know about him?"

"Yeah. They sat us down and everything." He told her. "Did you know that you don't actually have to be dead to pay for your funeral? Yeah, my parents were yelling at each other over money one night and they were talking about paying for his funeral. Apparently he's also got his will all made up, too. That's fun."

"So even _they're_ fighting right now." She scoffed. "That really sucks."

"Nah. Not really. They're okay, actually. Mum's obviously just a bit..."

"Distraught?"

"Losing her fucking shit, more like." Teddy replied. Victoire quietly tucked her head under his chin.

"Lena seems to be holding up, at least."

"Not really." He shook his head. "She'll probably be about as wide as a broomstick by the end of the year. That's about how her legs look now."

"Then why don't you _do something?"_

"Like what? Yell at her? Rat her out to Mum so she has one more thing to worry about? Tell Madam Pomfrey and hope Lena actually speaks to me again before she dies?"

"You need to watch over her. She needs you. You're her big brother and she's going to need you now more than ever." Victoire told him.

"I don't know how. I'm so tired of fighting her." Teddy stared down at the water. "I'm so tired of everything."


	110. The Good Times

Tonks was humming along softly with the radio that was propped up on the bathroom counter while towel drying her hair. It was back to leaving for the office at nine in the morning and not getting home before the sun came up again. At the rate that Remus was sick, she thought for a while that she might not ever see the office again. She was lucky they were so lenient with her absences. If it wasn't for the mounds of paperwork she filled out every time she turned around, the Ministry probably wouldn't care to be so gracious. If it weren't for keeping up the kids and having food on the table, she wouldn't have minded telling them she wouldn't come back. She quietly padded into the bedroom.

"Are you okay?" A man's voice asked from within the darkness.

"Remus?" She whispered softly.

He cleared his throat. "You're home early. I didn't expect you back until morning."

"I'm home super early." Tonks couldn't help but smile. "It's morning."

"What-" He yawned. "time is it?"

"Almost five." Tonks tilted her head. "I didn't mean to wake you when I came in. Or was it the music while I was in the shower?"

"It's alright. I heard you trip over the dog on your way to the kitchen and when you started apologizing is when I heard you." Remus said lightly.

"Remus, make sure you take your medicines, please. You are almost as bad as your daughter."

"You know I'm going to." He grumbled from beneath the covers. "It's only five."

"You missed a couple doses of Acetazolam. I saw them on the counter when I came in."

"I'm sorry."

"Do you know what you're supposed to be taking?"

"Of course I do." And he _did._ Two tablets of Acetazolam with breakfast, another at eleven, and another at two. Two tablets of Seleferol at noon and another two before bed. And the Kalymentin every twelve hours. An extra half of Kaymentin if he was in pain. Amobloc is for insomnia, Invalin for nausea. All of this on top of the monthly week-long dose of wolfsbane, which at this point, he wasn't sure had much wolfsbane in it at all. He didn't care much about asking questions the way his wife did. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"Just be sure to make up what you lost." Tonks leaned down and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you more." He challenged. "Dora, it's like we never talk about anything other than this."

She backpedaled back into the conversation. "Like what?"

"It's just that we never talk about anything besides my illness."

"That's not true." Tonks detested.

"Yes it is." Remus argued.

"Then what should we be talking about?"

"Anything. Honestly, I don't think it matters. I just want to have an actual conversation besides what time my appointments are or what I'm supposed to be taking."

"Okay," His wife sat down on the edge of the bed. "Then let's talk."

He sighed. "What did you do today? Or, yesterday?"

"I've had to go to court earlier. Not until noon though. Then I went to Diagon Alley to help them close up. Had a few stray homeless people wandering at night a couple weeks back. Then I went back to the office." She reached out and gently brushed her hand over his hair. "I'm sorry for waking you up."

"It's alright. I'm glad I get to see you now." Remus reaches over to hold her hand. "What's the weather like? It sounds like it's raining; is it?"

"Yeah, but it's actually kind of peaceful out there. Not thundering, just starting to get cool..." Tonks replied. She noticed that the more he talked the raspier his voice became, like his throat was becoming scratchier with every word. "Do you need some water?"

"No." He said simply. Remus coughed a little, but not enough of a fit.

"Okay, then." Tonks nodded. "Hey, you know, there's that really nice little restaurant downtown that we used to go to in the fall. You know, with those pumpkin pancakes? We should go there sometime soon."

"They likely don't open for another few hours."

"Then maybe we can go back to sleep then." Tonks forced her husband over to the wrong side of the bed so she could crawl up under the covers beside him. On the other side, Remus inched his way back over to reclaim his territory, wrapping his arms tightly around her, kissing her head. "That's better, isn't it?" She mused.

He kissed the top of her head. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, so many things he wanted to ask her, and he could list them off one by one. Truth be told, he didn't mind talking about dying, or whatever came after. Talking about it took away his fear. It was the idea of recovery that he didn't want to talk about. He imagined that his wife had some fantasy where he got better, even if it was as he laid in the hospital and some magical cure appeared at the last second to save him. He thought "Dora, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, why?" She asked.

"I meant to say, if you absolutely had to live by yourself, do you think you could you manage yourself? The kids are very self-sufficient already, but are you... going to be okay?" Remus wondered.

"I thought you said you wanted to talk about something else." Tonks grumbled. Her nose pressed against his breastbone. It felt harder than she remembered, with small intentions where his ribs connected, and she could feel it through his thick sweater. This was concerning, considering Tonks was tasked with making sure his appetite kept up, yet he was already changing. No wonder he wore a sweater when he slept. "You don't trust me to handle myself."

"What?"

"I said you don't trust me."

"I worry about you a lot, but I'm not distrustful, no." Remus said. "I know you'll be fine. You can handle work, and the kids, and the money and the house. But what I'm worried about is-"

"Don't-" Tonks cut him off. "No. Whatever you're going to say, don't finish it."

"Right." He replied, his fingers intertwining with her hair. For a second, the idea of having someone else with their hands on her struck him. Was this going to be all that was left of them? She would remember him as being sick and bedridden, sucking more life out of the world around him than he was giving back, like some sort of human-dementor hybrid. "Dora, can I even eat pumpkin pancakes? Am I allowed to do that?"

Of course, _the diet._ When Remus has gotten sicker, they were given a special plan, consisting of things he could and couldn't eat. Vegetables and fruits were good. Coffee and tea and porridge were good, and grapefruits were very good. Oranges were bad. Meats were not so good, unless it was soup, which was really hit-or-miss. Dairy was bad. Neither was salt or sugar or bread or anything with any semblance of the ability to create happiness. The healer had said that it would help, but there were always foods that would help one organ and hurt another. It was an uphill battle they were never going to win. And naturally, Tonks has hopped on board completely, changing everyone else's diet while they were still in the house. The kids hated it.

"Pumpkins are a vegetable." Tonks suggested.

"But it'll likely be made of grains... or flour... I have no idea what's in pancakes, but it's probably not allowed." Remus said. He wanted to laugh at how ridiculous they sounded.

"If your heart immediately stops beating and you decide to just keel over in the middle of breakfast after you eat pancakes, I'm going to have to go ahead and let you go, because at that point nothing's going to help you." His wife assured him. "That, and we only get to do this once a year. You don't get to spoil this."

Remus felt he could laugh at that. "If I was feeling as much as faint, you would drag me to the hospital. I think you'd find a way to muster up the strength to do so."

"Not if I'm busy getting my annual pancakes." She said weakly. The morbid jokes were over for her. "So hah."

Remus kissed her forehead. "You're probably really exhausted from yesterday."

"Only a little. Wake me up for breakfast, you hear me? I can't sleep until one or something, or I won't go to bed tonight, and I'll be very angry this time tomorrow when I'm at work..." Tonks's voice trailed off as her eyes fell heavy.

"I'll make sure of it." He whispered.

xxxxx

Remus was glad to get out while his legs still let him. They could park the car and walk around. Around the full moon, his legs often hurt so much, he often just wanted to sleep and sometimes, he would spend a night or two on the couch because walking around was such a pain, especially on the stairs. He got coffee, but he didn't want to drink it. His wife teased him that he didn't actually like coffee, he liked the milk and sugar more, things he couldn't let himself have. Just like they did every fall, they sat and looked out the window and ate their breakfast (and no one died, thankfully) and _tried_ to drink their coffee. They talked. They laughed. They felt perfectly normal. Tonks did, at least. Remus ate slowly. He wanted to remember that day. He wanted her to remember.

The rain stopped completely by the time they were getting ready to leave. Remus wanted to take in everything. The leave had mostly changed in a dark orange, but there were still some yellow and green leaves on the trees. And they were _everywhere._ They were wet and sticking to everything. They were went and annoying and gross, in a way, and Remus was nostalgic for the summertime. His wife had taken claim of his scarf. He was probably never getting it back, but it's not like he was going anywhere with it anyways.

Remus reached over and took her hand. She had on black fingerless gloves. "Those are pretty impractical, but I think you know that."

"Yeah, you only tell me every time I wear them." Tonks smiled, squeezing his fingers.

"You need new gloves." He told her.

"And how long have you been saying that for?"

"Let's see, Teddy's seventeen, almost eighteen, so... nineteen? Twenty years now?"

"Two decades and going strong, aren't you? I'm impressed by your dedication, but at what point are you going to learn that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results?" She pecked him on the cheek.

"Keep wearing those and your fingers are going to fall off." He remarked.

"It's not _that_ cold." Tonks rolled her eyes. "There's no way I'm getting frostbite in this warm of a temperature."

"Well then why else are they called fingerle-"

"Okay, look," She huffed. "If you're going to make a bad pun, at least _try_ to make it a _good one."_

Remus shook his head, laughing to himself. "And yet you still walk into them like a brick wall." He noticed that she was stumbling around, more so than usual. "And you probably need to-"

"Tighten my boots, Yeah." But she didn't.

Remus pretended not to smile. "You're going to fall and you're going to crack your head open and I'm going to have to clean up your mess."

"Isn't that the line you use on the kids?" Tonks asked, amused. "That one and um... what's the other one you use?"

"'If I have to, I'll take you to the hospital and they'll have to stick you with a needle like it's the 1800s, and then how are you going to feel?' That one."

"I mean, neither of them has had a cracked skull or a needle jabbed in them, so I guess that means we've done _something_ right." Tonks chuckled.


	111. The Bad Memories

Teddy was busy memorizing defensive spells in the library when he was so rudely interrupted. "Teddy, I need some help." Elena announced. She had a heavy book underneath her arm and she could probably wake the dead with the noise it made when she slammed it on the table.

"Shh-" He scolded. "What do you want, you small gremlin child?"

"I have to do a presentation tomorrow." Elena said in a low voice.

"Are you nervous or something?" Teddy asked as returned to his studying.

"I have to conjure a patronus."

"And?"

"I can't."

"Are you _nervous?"_

"No, I just... I told Professor Greenwhich I couldn't but he just keeps telling me to focus and I can't do it."

"You can't focus?"

"No! I keep trying, and I can't even make it half-corporal."

"It has to be corporal?" Teddy looked up at her. "I can't teach you how to make a corporal patronus in one night."

"At least some of the way. That's the assignment."

"Shit, we just had to make some blue mist to keep a dementor away. You've got to make it an animal and everything, huh? Wait—is he still bringing in live dementors?"

"No, not since he got apprehended by the Ministry last year. The patronus _just_ has to have shape to it. You can do it, right?"

"Sure I can."

"Is yours fully corporal?"

"Yep."

His sister was skeptical. "What's your animal?"

"A red fox. You know, I think Vic's is like... a really big cat or something, I have no clue, I've just seen it and it's big. Why?"

"Can you show me, please?" Elena asked nervously.

Teddy took out his wand, flicking it. _"Expecto Patronum."_ A silvery-blue fox came prancing out of the mist that came out of his wand. The fox walked over to the desk and sat down on a pile of books beside him, tucking its tail beneath it. "What do you think yours is?"

"No clue."

"You've practiced though, right?"

"Um-" Elena was hesitant.

"You've got a good memory and everything?"

"I'm... working on it."

That was a lie. She had _nothing to work with._ And Teddy caught on to it. _"Okay,"_ He sighed, pushing his chair back to stand up. "What makes you happy, huh?" This was depressing. "Quidditch makes you happy."

"It does." She crossed her arms. "It is... sufficient, I guess."

"Sufficient? Lena, you need a _good_ memory!"

"I know that! I'm sorry!" She pleaded. "What's _your_ memory?"

"That's not any of your business." Teddy snapped, wiping away the fox.

"Sorry." His sister replied. "I just don't know what to think of."

"What about Dom?"

"Hmm?"

"Dominique. What do you think?"

"Teddy, we're friends, She's not- _we're_ not like that." She crossed her arms.

Teddy scoffed. "Seriously, you should have studied this sooner. I can't help you if you don't help me!"

"I'm sorry!" Elena held her head back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry that I can't do this! I'm sorry that I'm not happy!"

"What do you want me to do? Give you a happy memory? Tell you what you're supposed to think of? It's not my fault!"

His sister sunk into one of the wooden chairs. "I can't think straight. I'm... you know, I've got a lot on my mind right now."

"You think I don't?" He slammed his hand on the table. "You know Dad's not going to make it to my graduation this year, right? He might not even make it until Christmas."

"He's not coming to my graduation either!"

"It's _more than that-"_

Madam Pince came walking around the bookshelf. She looked very cross at them. "The library's closed. The two of you need to go back to your dormitories. Prefect, if you would please escort him along."

"Yes, Madam Pince." Elena sighed, picking up her stuff. She looked back to her brother. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know. You should have started this sooner." Teddy didn't look at her as he gathered his stuff.

Elena followed beside her brother. "I know, and I'm sorry."

Teddy shook his head. "Forget it." He said quietly. "Look, I'm leaving."

"I have to escort you." She informed him. Neither of them was too happy about their awkward walk towards the kitchens.

"No, I meant I'm leaving." Teddy replied. "Leaving school. Dropping out. There's no point in me staying here." He made a sharp turn.

"Wait, where are we going?" She walked closer to him.

"To see Professor McGonagall. I told you, I can't stay here. Not while Dad's as sick as he is."

"He wouldn't want that." Elena said quietly. "He'd want you to finish school and become an auror like you said you wanted."

"Uncle Harry only had six years and he made it fine. So I've already got a leg up on him."

"Yeah, because he defeated the most powerful evil wizard to ever exist. That doesn't count."

"Did he or did he not have an adequate education to become an auror?"

"Not optimally, obviously." She quipped. "You _have_ to stay for the rest of the year. What about me? You're going to leave me and Victoire here?"

"Mr. and Ms. Lupin," A voice sighed with relief. McGonagall was in her dressing robes with an entourage of two office aides. "Thank goodness the two of you are out of bed."

Teddy's face paled. "Professor, we can explain, we were in the library when it closed and-"

"We were on out way to see you, actually." Elena quickly said. "Apparently."

"What have you heard?" The headmistress asked.

Elena looked over to her brother. "Heard? Heard what?"

McGonagall was the most upset now that Teddy had ever seen her. She always seemed so firm and so serious, but now, she actually looked like she was in distress. "The two of you need to come along with me." The two office aides exchanged looks with one another. "The two of you may be excused. I just need the Lupins to come with me from here."

"Yes, Professor McGonagall." And they hurried off together.

"Has something happened, Professor?" Elena asked as they followed her up the stairway to her office.

"Unfortunately, it has." McGonagall replied. "I received a patronus from your mother just a few minutes ago and I was on my way to find the two of you, but it seems you found me first."

"Why did Mum send a patronus?" A patronus meant an emergency. An owl should have been more appropriate, Elena thought. "Is she okay?" She asked.

McGonagall closed the heavy doors behind them. "I would offer the two of you tea and my sympathies, but I think we only have time for one. I received word from your mother that your father has had an incident and was sent to St. Mungo's this evening."

 _"What?"_ Elena asked in a shaky voice. Teddy thought he would throw up. "What happened?"

"I'm afraid I don't know." McGonagall replied. "However, your mother requested I send you for a visitation and I am very much one to not deny a child seeing their parent amidst a crisis."

Teddy had to swallow down his fear and the stomach acid he was on the verge of spilling out. The irony behind their intentions coming here stung his insides like wasps. "We should hurry then."

"You don't know _anything?"_ Elena demanded.

 _"Lena-"_ Her brother reprimanded. "Let's just go and see him."

"I would have set up portkeys for you, but the floo network would be much more direct." The headmistress walked up to her desk and picked up a wooden bowl that was there. "When you arrive, I will be awaiting your mother's word that you arrived safely."

Teddy grabbed his sister's arm as she began to say something. "Look, I'm sure everything's going to be okay."

"What if it's not?" Elena pleaded.

"Then I suppose you two ought to be on your way." Professor McGonagall held out the bowl of powder. "If your mother decides you ought to stay longer, I will make sure that the two of you have what you need sent back to your home, assignments included."

"Wait, Teddy? Will you go with me?" Elena asked as she grabbed his arm. "I don't want to floo by myself."

"You can go right behind me." He told her. He picked up a bit of the powder and walked towards the fireplace, dragging her along.

"But I don't want to be alone." Elena urged.

"You can be an adult, can't you?"

"Yeah but-"

He was already in the fireplace. "St. Mungo's hospital." Teddy said firmly. With a flash of green light, he vanished to the unknown.

Professor McGonagall turned to Elena. "You next."

Elena shakily grabbed a handful of the powder and stepped into the fireplace. "St. Mungo's hospital." She couldn't make her voice as clear as his. The bright green flames consumed her next. There was a dizzying array of fireplaces ahead of her. Then there was one of the several in the hospital lobby.

The floor were a starch white and they smelled like bleach. Elena knee because she collapsed into her brother immediately upon arrival to the hospital lobby. She was too close to her brother and he could barely catch her.

"Good job." Teddy snarked.

Elena looked up, scanning the people in the lobby waiting room. A woman looked up towards them. "Mum?"

"Hey." She said quietly, rushing over to them to wrap an arm around each of her children. "I'm sorry you guys had to come here."

"It's okay." Elena replied. "How's Dad? What happened? Where is he?"

"He fell earlier. I came home from work and I found him in the bathroom floor. He was bleeding and he wasn't awake, and I think he had been there a while." Tonks tried to sound as calm as she could. "But he's doing better. The healers have taken good care of him."

"Why did he fall?" Elena asked.

"I think he was just dizzy and he started feeling ill. There's not much else that could've caused it." Tonks closed her eyes, holding them a little bit tighter to her. "There's nothing wrong inside of his head, if that's what you're asking."

"Is he awake?" Teddy asked.

His mother shook her head. When she let go of them, she was crying. "No, he's not gotten up yet."

"He's going to wake up though." He demanded. "He's not going to just stay out of it? He's going to be okay, right, Mum?" Tonks didn't answer him. "Mum, say something. Please say something. Please answer me. Is Dad going to be-"

"I don't know." Tonks replied. She grabbed his arms and squeezed them. She gave him a _"hang in there"_ look.

"Someone has to know, someone here has to have some idea about him." Teddy replied, only becoming progressively more frustrated.

"I've done everything I can think to do, Teddy." She told him. "We have to wait this out. Just get through tonight, that's all we can do right now. That's all we can ask."

"Can we see him? Please?" Elena asked.

"They just put him in a room. It's probably chaos trying to get that all set up." Tonks said, turning to her daughter. "I'm not planning on staying the night here without going home to change and get cleaned up. I didn't have any time to do that when I got off work. Dad's stable, and the healer has ordered some tests in the morning to make sure nothing more serious happened, but they think it was just a fainting spell. If you all would like to join me so you can get out of your uniforms, I don't mind. Or you can stay there and I can come back in the morning to get you."

"If you're sleeping here, then I will." Teddy volunteered. "Lena?"

"I... I don't know yet." She replied sheepishly.

Tonks was lovingly rubbing her hand on the girl's cheek. "It's okay sweetheart, I know you're scared."

"I know I should." Elena protested.

"Yeah, you probably should stay in case Dad _dies_ or something else important happens." Teddy snapped at her.

"Hey," Tonks cut her eyes at her son. "Watch your mouth." She scolded.

"She needs to be here with us!"

"She has a _choice!"_

"It's okay," Elena chimed in. "I can stay the night. I mean, I will. I'll stay here."

"You don't have to." Tonks told her. She pointed her finger at Teddy. "And _you're_ going to watch what you say, do you understand me?"

Teddy nodded nervously. "I'm sorry, Mum. I shouldn't have said anything." He mumbled.

"Tonight's going to be a hard night, but we're going to be okay." Tonks reassured. "We're going to be okay."


	112. I Gave You My Heart

Christmas Eve was quiet. The kids weren't wrestling or playing around. Victoire And Dominique were staying the night in Elena's room, and the three of them including Teddy had been holed up for most of the day, trying to keep out a nosy Lily Potter. Remus has to make them come out and play with their younger god-cousins. The only trouble they got themselves into was while their mother was baking for everyone who was to come over on Christmas Day. As soon as she moved the sweets from the cooling rack to their boxes, the boxes would always disappear for a few hours and turn up somewhere else, empty. Tonks scavenged some of the chocolate covered pretzels from who knew where she had stashed them and popped one in her mouth.

"Remus," Harry nodded towards him, sitting down in the armchair closest to the sofa. He had just put Lily Luna to sleep beneath a blanket in one of the other chairs. "How are you?"

Remus smiled weakly. There was a cotton bandage covering part of the right side of his face. No matter what he did, or what he tried, it never stopped bleeding or oozing. Tonks came over, curling up beside him, and letting him wrap his arm around her. "I'm actually doing a lot better, thank you." He replied.

"Good." Harry nodded. "Tonks said you were in better spirits."

"Is James excited for his first year next year?" Tonks chimed in.

"More than you can imagine. He never stops talking about it."

"Believe me, we had two just like that. At least Teddy was like that." Remus looked over at his wife. "

"A couple more and Al's going to start. And Rose, Ron and 'Mione's girl." Harry said.

"Hi, Mum." Elena mumbled as she, her brother, and one of the Weasley girls walked as quickly as they could through the living room past the adults. They seemed to be on the verge of laughter about something.

"Hey, hey, hey," Tonks broke free of her husband and ran into the kitchen behind them. She returned with a hand around each of her children's arms to show them off. "Harry, look at this. Elena, stand up straight, love. You always slouch too much. Look at this! Can you believe this?"

Harry looked at the three of them. "Teddy, are you as tall as your father? You look like you are."

"Not quite." Teddy smiled. They had both managed away from his mother's grasp. "Just a few inches short."

"They've outgrown me! BOTH of them! I am now the shortest one here!" Tonks exclaimed. "They've really grown up without us. I simply can't believe it."

"Can we go now?" Teddy groaned. It was Victoire that was in the kitchen and came with a handful of chocolate covered pretzels.

"Excuse me, _you_ don't live here and _those_ are for tomorrow!" Tonks exclaimed, following behind them into the kitchen. "How did you find those!"

"Most of us can reach the top of the fridge without magic, Mum!"

"Oh fuck off!"

"Remus rolled his eyes. "Dora! Quit swearing! We have company over!"

"I dare Harry to tell me he's never heard worse!"

"Did you hear about Kingsley's resignation?" Harry turned back to Remus.

"Effective this summer." He nodded. "Good on him. He's probably one of the longest standing Ministers in a good while. I remember him saying he never wanted to stay that long."

"He's saves more lives than he's taken in seventeen year. That's more than his last three proceeders can say."

"How did you find out? I thought the whole thing was meant to be kept quiet, or are you aurors just bad at keeping your mouths shut?" Remus chuckled.

"I only heard because Hermione's running. Her name's not on the roster yet, but I bet she'll at least make it to be an official candidate."

"Dora can't keep a bad secret for the life of her. She could hold up through torture, but I hear Kingsley's leaving before she even gets home. But I also think her instinct was to think something was wrong with him. Poor man's just retiring."

"She's never struck me as the gossiping type."

"Not usually, but she can be bad about assuming the worst. Anyways, if you get in touch with Hermione before I do, wish her luck for me, will you? She would have my vote."

Harry was considering his next statement. "Maybe you should stick around for it."

"You know with how unmonitored the voter fraud is, I'm sure I might get to." Remus said lightly.

"Is it seriously that unregulated?" Harry asked. "No one's ever told me."

"We never get around to voting because people either refuse to retire or a tyrannical government takes over, so people end up forgetting about the loopholes."

Tonks has sent the kids back upstairs. She sat down and pulled out a tin from under her sweater. "I don't remember raising such ungrateful children!" She shouted loud enough for them to hear. "I don't even get a thank you!"

"Thank you, Mum! Your food's great!" A door slammed shut.

"You're welcome!" She was already breaking into the tin, despite saying she wouldn't, offering them to the other two men.

"So Lena's halfway through to taking her OWLs?" Harry remarked, taking Tonks up on her offer. "I don't know much about what happens seventh year, so I don't know what Teddy's up to."

"He's captain of the chess team." Tonks nodded. "I'd say quite impressive."

"What's he been up to with Victoire?"

"Oh, they're fine." Tonks smiled, laying her head on Remus's shoulder. "You know, between the three of us, we've been wondering if he won't propose to her when he graduates, or better, wait for her to finish up school."

"You really think so?" Harry asked.

"They really seem to care about each other." Tonks remarked. "They've handled themselves very maturely, to my understanding. They don't seem to be the kind of kids to fight over meaningless thing, mostly because they've been together for so long."

The younger auror nodded in agreement. "I think that they're a good fit for each other. Has he mentioned it yet?"

"Any day now, we think." Remus smiled.

"Has he said what he's going to do once he graduates?"

Remus and Tonks exchanged looks, neither wanting to say anything at first. "He's... mentioned wanting to become an auror." Remus cleared his throat. "He's actually quite proficient in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He's not bad at dueling either."

"He's a lot better than not bad." Tonks replied. Remus's hands were folded in his lap to hide his fingers. She playfully tried to feed him one of the pretzels.

"So he's becoming an auror." Harry replied. "And you're letting him?"

"Letting him, yes." Tonks nodded. Harry looked disappointed. _More than disappointed. But he didn't open his mouth. He nodded, but he didn't engage in any kind of argument. Remus felt a growing knot in his throat. It had been too long since he had looked at him like that. Harry looked like he wanted to grab him by the shirt and demand to know what he was thinking, letting his son go out and work in the field like that? Didn't he see what Tonks had to go through? Didn't he understand the risks? Remus didn't know what to say to make him feel better. "He's working very hard and we've decided that he deserves to take his shot."_

"Do you really think he should be out fighting?" Harry asked.

"I think if he's a good fighter, then yes." Tonks replied. "Harry, Teddy isn't stupid. Or immature. He's taking this seriously. He wants to fight, he really does. And he'll be good once he gets through training-"

"Tonks, don't you know how high the mortality rate of aurors is?" Harry questioned. "Surely you know. You've been to the funerals, you've seen the turnover rates."

"Harry, there isn't much we can do to stop him, but there is plenty we can do to help him." She informed him.

"He's been very distracted lately." Remus brought up. "I know I've been a big part of it. He's... mentioned not going back to school when the break's over."

"And what did you say to him?"

"We asked him if he really wanted to be an auror. We asked him to think about his future and actually consider what the consequences of not going back would be. If he really wants to be an auror or not."

"Did he mention me?"

"Of course he did." Tonks said lightly. "Doesn't matter what we tell him."

Harry say silently in contemplation. "Has Elena said what she wants to do?"

Remus closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Yes, she's made herself very clear, actually. Just about as stubborn as her brother." Remus was just as contemplative. "She wants to become a healer."

"Do you see our dilemma yet?" Tonks asked. "One of our kids chose a career based on what I'm doing for a living and the other has picked a career because of, what we think to be, because of Remus's illness. We've tried to push Lena into Alchemy. She loves potions, she's the best at them, but she's _convinced_ she wants to go into healing. Won't hear of anything else."

"What branch is she thinking about?"

"Dunno." Tonks shook her head. "Best guess? Probably the werewolf ward. At the very least she's going to want to end up in transformation work."

Harry chuckled about something. "Did I ever tell you of the first time I used the polyjuice potion?" Tonks and Remus both shook their heads. Harry waved them off. "Anyways, so she doesn't want to go into professional quidditch?"

"Not exactly." Remus remarked. "I think she's considered continuing to play, but I don't think she wants to play for any big teams."

"So no Holyhead Harpies?" Harry laughed.

Remus sighed, smiling. "No, I don't think so. Not now, at least."

Harry glanced around the living room. "I really hate to keep you all up like this. I know it's getting a bit late."

Tonks sat up. "Don't worry about it."

"James! Albus! Let's go!" Harry called. "Mum's probably wondering where we are!" Lily was awake now, but was curled up under the knot blanket, pretending not to be. Harry went over and kissed her on the forehead. "Come on, we've got to let Aunt Dora and Uncle Remus got to bed." Lily groaned and shook her head as her father picked her up, holding her in his arms.

Footsteps came trampling down the stairs. "Dad! Can't we stay the night?" James Potter asked. He very much favored his father, yet something about his face was soft and kind like his mother. Albus was almost the exact opposite, favoring his mother with his father's green eyes. Lily was quite similar, though she looked like a perfect imitation of Ginny when she was little.

"No." Harry informed him.

"But Tori and Dominique get to!" He protested.

"And I said no. Mum's going to want you at home tonight."

"That's not fair..." The boy mumbled.

"Unfortunately not." Harry sighed. "Alright then. I guess we'll be seeing you all in the next few days, I'm sure."

"Hope so." Tonks smiled. She stood up to hugs the boys and say goodbye to Lily. "Hopefully you'll get to open your presents tomorrow. We hope you like what we got you." She looked over towards James and gave him a sly wink.

"Tonks, you spoil them rotten." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Of course I do! I'd be a pretty pathetic Auntie Dora if I didn't." She laughed. "Don't eat all that sugar that you've got at home all at once, you hear me? Drive your poor mother up the wall with it."

"We'll try." James replied.

Tonks was walking to the door when Harry grabbed her arm. "You're going to be okay, right?" He whispered where the boys couldn't hear him.

She shook her head, confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I just..." Harry paused. "I just wanted to make sure."

Tonks nodded. "We'll be seeing you around, yeah?"

"Yeah." And with that, Harry walked out the door with the kids. Tonks slowly shut the door behind them, taking a second to watch the fresh snow as it was coming down heavy onto their porch. Their front gate was a bit stuck.

"Do you remember when the kids were little and they used to try and stay up on Christmas Eve? And so we'd have to stay up longer so that we could leave presents out for them?" Tonks said softly. She was smiling to herself and Remus found himself staring at the dimple in the side of her face. He was very fixated with how pretty he found her to be. He wished that for a moment, his head would stop reminding him that this was going to be his last Christmas. The last time he saw the snow and the warm glow of lights hanging off the roofs of people's houses. The last time he would get to decorate their Christmas tree or the last time he would get a Weasley sweater. "And I would always complain because I just wanted to go to sleep. But the looks on their faces were always priceless the next morning?" She rejoined him on the sofa. They both tried to sprawl out, yet make sure to make enough room for the other. Tonks eventually found her spot lying in Remus's arms.

"It was always a pain trying to coax them into going to bed, but come to think of it, I don't think those were bad memories." Remus was massaging his knuckles. Beneath the white bandages, they were bloody and torn, nearly broken. His wife always said that he'd be unable to write if he kept chewing his fingers. He could barely sign his name, and only did so for legal reasons now. This was one of the things he never wanted to talk about. The coughing fits were understandable, but now his hands were almost completely incapacitated. However long he had left was meant to be slow and miserable.

"I know we don't have to leave anything out for them, but I don't want to go to sleep." His wife mused.

"You aren't tired?" Remus kisses the top of her head.

"No, I'm utterly exhausted, actually. I just don't want today to be over with yet."

"We'll have all day tomorrow. We've not even celebrated Christmas yet." Remus wrapped his arm around her, squeezing her tightly.

"I know. But we aren't going to get a 'next year' this year."

"I know." He replied. "It's all I've been able to think about today."

"Do me a favour?"

"Mmh?"

"Don't let me fall asleep." Tonks instructed him as she closed her eyes, her head resting on his chest.

"I can't do that."

"Just shake me really hard every now and again."

"No, I'm not doing that." Remus laughed. He kissed he on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Dor."


	113. News

"So... is that it then?" Remus asked the healer. He touched the bandage on his forehead, trying to keep it taped down, but the healer hadn't done a great job of changing it after the examination. "I'm sure you were waitin for Christmas to be over before you told me all of this."

"I'm afraid so. This is... always hard for me to tell my patients this. Especially during the holidays." The healer had his back turned as he washed his hands. "It never gets any easier for anyone. I would like to tell you that if you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

Remus swallowed the knot in his throat. The man's words made sense, yet they weren't quite registering with him. "So I have... we're at least three months at this point, is that correct?"

"It can be anywhere from three to twelve months, depending on how you hold up during the full moons." The healer informed.

"My, erm, my son. He's seventeen. I'm wondering... what are the odds that I get to see him graduate this June?" Remus asked.

The healer tilted his head. "I would think if you eat well, keep active enough, and take you're medicine, I would say you might have a fair chance of getting to see him walk at graduation. I can prescribe potions to help you sleep better and help with the pain. Any little thing helps, I can tell you that, but this is certainly inevitable, and I do hope that that makes sense."

"Right." Remus nodded. "I knew this was coming. I'll be honest, I didn't think I'd make it sixty. I'm... not uneasy about this. At the same time though, I know what this means and it's suddenly... time."

"Is there anything else I could do to ease your mind? Anything I could prescribe you to keep you from worrying? Or do you have any other questions about the diagnosis?" The healer asked.

"Will this be leaving a lot of bills for my family? With me not working and all, I wondered if-"

The healer shook his head. "You will get the best treatment we can give you and we will make sure to cover as much as we can with our trust fund."

"Trust fund?"

"The Ministry has a trust fund to specifically help people like you, who have a terminal illness or condition that caused discrimination within the magical workforce. It came up after the war when there were so many werewolves without work requiring medicine, but so far it's branched out to several other beings."

"Right." Remus nodded. "Is there... anything I should do better to talk to my wife and kids? I think we've talked enough about it. This isn't something we're afraid of or something we want to drag out. I-I think we're at a point where we're okay with what's happening."

The healer nodded. "That's good. There are many families who struggle for a long time when someone close to them is dying. It's best when everyone has come to terms with the diagnosis. I only wish I could be there to them, and you, with this transition."

"My kids are back in school. My wife's at work. I knew this had to be important, but she's come to every single one of my appointments." Remus explained. "Like I said, we've all been preparing for this for a while, my wife and I. I think that if five months is all I get... we're okay with that."

"Your kids, you mentioned them, are they okay?"

Remus pauses. "No, I think my kids are struggling more than I'd like to admit. We practically had to drag my son back into the train. My daughter's worrying herself sick, practically. They didn't want to go."

"I wish there was more we could do." The healer sighed. "Parents should get to see their kids grow up."

Remus nodded quietly. "If that's all, I suppose I should be on my way."

The healer agreed. "I'll make sure you get all of your refills that you should need and I'll write up all of this information for yourself and your family members."

Remus lingered beside the front desk for a minute, a folder of papers weighing down in his hands. Tonks wouldn't be home. The kids were gone. He was completely and utterly alone. Several other werewolves occupied the lobby and they glanced up at him as he left. Did they know that this was his end? That they would likely meet the same fate? Did he smell like death already? He knew what that rotten smell was like when a person was marked or when they fell so ill it seemed to become apart of them. Of course, humans never recognized when a dead person was up and walking.

xxxxx

March came fast. Fleur had happily agreed to meet her that afternoon at one of their favourite cafes. It wasn't a nice enough day that they could sit outside together, so they stuck to a secluded table inside with the warmth and their tea. Immediately, she caught on that something was wrong with her. "Dora, is... is every-sing okay?" She asked, holding her friend's hand. "What's got you so upset?"

Tonks squeezed her hand and shook her head. "I... had a bad morning."

"What iz going on?" Fleur wondered. "Dora, you can talk to me."

"I know, it's just a mess at home right now. I just left Mungo's."

"Is Remus... Has Remus... iz he worsened?"

"No. He's not really changed." Tonks shook her head. "Two to twelve months, but we knew that." It didn't take long for word to spread, but everyone knew twelve was a stretch. He had made it through the January and February moons, but barely. He was still recovering. Tonks had practically quit work now. She spent most of her time making sure that whatever he couldn't do, she could pick up the slack. He couldn't hold his wand or silverware. He couldn't walk up stairs in one go. He could take showers, but not for long, or else the steam would choke him. There was no fast moving. Tonks _had_ to be there. If anything went wrong, she couldn't leave Remus to handle it himself.

"Iz some-sing wrong with the kids? Iz Lena sick? Iz Teddy acting up again?" Fleur demanded worridly.

"I'm..." Tonks dropped her voice. Her eyes got teary. "No... it's... it's a long story..."

"Dora, love-"

"I know, it's annoying, but I can't talk about it." Tonks sighed and rubbed her face. "Fleur, I'm sorry, I just really need the company right now."

"Zat eez perfectly fine. Just... please tell me if zis is about Remus."

"It is, but it's not."

"Zen what eez it?"

Tonks paused. She contemplated this for a couple of minutes, silently, and Fleur patiently zipped her tea. "Fleur, I just came from Mungo's and they gave me some really bad news. _Really, really_ bad."

"About Remus?"

"About me." She nodded. Then, she let out this detached laugh. Tonks sounded like she might actually burst into hysterics, or tears, soon enough. "But I can't talk about it."

"Yees, you can." Fleur coaxed. "You can talk about eet with me."

"I know, but if I do, then it kind of defeats the point." Tonks sighed. "It's hard to explain, I'm so sorry."

"No, no, it's okay. I just want 'ou to talk to me."

Tonks clenched her jaw. It took her a moment to spit it out. "Fleur, I thought I was in the early stages of dragon pox... or something else, I don't know. But I went because of Remus's weak immune system. I had to sleep on the couch last night because I got really nauseous, I had these killer migraines, and I was extremely dizzy and exhausted. I had to go, but Remus doesn't know I went because I couldn't let him get sick, and I couldn't tell him that I went, or he'll ask me what's wrong, and I-"

"Did zey say what was wrong with 'ou?" Fleur asked. "You sound az eef 'ou are working yourself to death."

Tonks's eyes got teary. "They... they said all my tests were clean and that I'm not sick. Then they... so it...

Fleur became skeptical. "Dora?"

Tonks laughed. "Look, I don't know... about you and Bill, and that's all your business, but When Remus turned fifty, we stopped our... our birth control, right? I was thirty-seven, and we just thought, after that point... we thought that at the age you're less likely to get pregnant, and he was getting sicker, so it's not like we were... _doing_ _it_ a lot or anything, because he always feels like shit and it always makes me feel bad, but as it turns out, that's not how it works."

Fleur's eyes grew wide and she clasped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, Dora."

"We were wrong." Tonks smiled weakly. She looked completely and utterly terrified. "I guess we were really fucking wrong." Her arms snaked around her middle as she hunched over the table.

"You really look great for your age, 'owever. But isn't zis wonderful news, Dora? The kids vill be so excited to 'ave a baby brother or sister."

"Fleur, I don't know how to tell Remus."

"You've done eet before. Zis isn't like eet's your first baby."

"Remus isn't going to live another six months. Much less nine. Or twelve. He's not going to get to meet this baby, don't you get it?"

"Why iz zis so bad? Ze two of you vill be happy together for your last few months. You'll be happy and ven Remus... _goes_ , and you vill have a part of 'im left behind. Three beautiful children together."

"This is going to rip him in half. I don't think I can tell him. But what if he _does_ live another, say, twelve months. What if I don't tell him and we end up wasting our time together? The longer I don't tell him, the longer he has to find out, the more time wasted. I don't think I can do this. I don't know what to do or to say."

Fleur frowned. "I am... I'm sorry, Dora. I 'ave no idea what to tell 'ou."

xxxxx

"Hey, Remus? I'm home." Tonks called. She quickly glanced in the mirror beside the door and wipe away he runny makeup. "Are you in bed?"

"No, no, it's okay, I'm right here." He replied, rounding the corner from the kitchen.

"Oh. Hey," Tonks sighed, smiling. She walked over to him and put her arms around him. "Sorry, Fleur wanted to take me out shopping with her this morning."

"Did you at least get anything nice?"

Tonks stared down at the foor. "No," She smiled. "Can we sit down for a second? I'm just feeling a bit dizzy from apperating."

"Oh yeah, didn't you go by Mungo's this morning?" Remus wondered.

"Yeah." Tonks sighed.

"And they told you...?"

"I'm fine." Tonks said simply.

"You're fine." Remus repeated back to her.

"They said I'm fine." She repeated.

"I know you did, but I don't know what that means."

"Means I'm fine."

"Means you're overworking yourself."

"No it doesn't."

"You were getting sick."

"Not because I'm stressed."

"Oh really?" Remus coughed.

"Remus, I'm pregnant." Tonks blurted out. There as a dead silence in the room for a few moments. "Thought you should hear it from me now."

Remus stares at her for a second. Then he laughed. "Sorry, you what?"

"I- do you need to see the bloody paperwork?" Tonks became rummaging through her bag.

"I... no? You're kidding, right? You think this is funny?"

"No!" Tonks shot back, pulling out a folded piece of paper. "I'm not, and you suck."

 _"I suck?"_ He asked, taking it from her. "What did I do?"

"You-I-" She stammered.

Remus didn't unfold the paper. "You're joking."

"Am not."

"Dora."

"You did this with our daughter, you know."

"How far along are you?"

"Five weeks or something stupid like that. Said I was pretty early."

"Really. And now of all times?"

"Shut up, this isn't my fault!" Tonks snapped. "Look, I'm sorry. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry you don't believe me. I'm just sorry."

"Don't- quit it." Remus sighed. "Look, excuse me for being in shock, but I don't think this is something we can or should be doing right now. I mean, what are Lena and Teddy going to say when they come home and you're-"

Tonks closed her eyes. _"I know, okay?"_ She took a deep breath. "I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't think you'd be around to see it. I shouldn't have opened my mouth, I'm sorry, I-"

"Dora, stop apologizing." He reassured her. "I just... I don't know what to do. I don't know what to tell you. Honestly? I don't exactly believe you. Not because I think you're a liar or than you would make something up like this, but I have no clue how or why this happened to us of all people. I don't know how we're going to get through with this, Dor, I really don't have a plan, I don't have any words of wisdom, I have nothing. I'm sorry."

She grabbed the paper from his hand. "I shouldn't have opened my mouth."

"Dora, wait, I-". He reached out for it, but she crumpled up the notes and dropped them in her bag.

"Remus, I'm sorry." Tonks announced. She took a step away from him. His mouth was open to say something when she swiftly took out her wand, pointing it at him. "Obliviate." She muttered.

Remus blinked his eyes hard. _Dora, yes that's right, they were talking about something._ His mind completely derailed, his face contorting with confusion. She was putting away her wand. She also looked to be on the verge of tears, yet again. "Dora?"

"Yes, Remus?"

"Were we... talking about something or have I completely lost it?"

"What do you remember?" She asked.

"You said you were with Fleur."

"Oh yeah, and then I mentioned St. Mungo's." Tonks nodded.

"Yeah, what happened? Are you alright?"

She shook her head. "Stomach flu. Best if you kept your distance."

 **AN: rapid! update! time!**

 **Also, sorry, I've been on the fence about actually writing this chapter, but I've stuck with the idea for a hot second, so I decided to make it official and post it. Just a few more chapters, folks! Thanks!**


	114. Saying Goodbyes

Tonks was doing everything she could to keep her stomach relatively tucked in, but there was a weight—at least several pounds, To is swore—bearing down on her insides. She reached down and untucked her shirt, rubbing her hand in circles on her stomach. Something inside her squirmed. Teddy or Elena used to kick her a lot more than the other, she thought, but she couldn't remember which. At least they were squished up so tight that she had to feel them. She tried not to think of it as a person. Thinking of it as a person only brought her more heartbreak. It was more of a mass that lived in between her intestines than a baby. If only it would hurry up and grow so she could get it out instead of spend all it's time squirming... Did Tonks even have a game plan? No, not exactly.

She knew exactly how Remus was going to die. They had talked it over and over before. At first, Tonks wanted him to die at home. The kids and Andromeda could be there. He would be in a warm and familiar place with his family right beside him. But Remus told her no. Being at home would be painful and slow without a healer. He wouldn't be able to move, or breath, or eat or drink. He would be in a such unbearable pain, he wouldn't _want_ to be alive anymore.

But what about Tonks? People died, people were born. This had to be a normal thing people did all the time, right? Was she being completely irrational? Probably. She was only fourteen weeks along yet the baby felt like it must have weighed a full five pounds by now and she had no clue what her game plan was for when it _did_ weigh five pounds or more. She didn't know what to do when it wasn't going to tolerate being inside of her anymore. This little guy, no bigger than a lemon, had to be crammed inside of her gut to keep him hidden. Sure, she could just make herself gain weight or change her appearance to make her stomach protrude more, but both of those options seemed too risky and too obvious. She had to keep life moving like it always did, like nothing happened and nothing was happening, and there was no room in her life for any baby bumps. The little guy hated it more than anything. It was cramped enough that she could feel as it kicked and pushed around, and the thing wasn't even four months old. And _she_ hated feeling its every move, its every twitch. How was she supposed to keep this up? Three out of the four times she had ever been pregnant, she still continued to surprise herself. Of all the people in the world, why did this keep happening?

Teddy and Elena were home on a weekend visit, which just so happened to fall on a full moon, but not really. Teddy never wanted to leave the hospital and Elena didn't want to be the inferior sibling and stay by herself at the house. There wasn't much to do at the hospital, though. Teddy had had about half a dozen cups of coffee spread throughout the day. He was jittery. Even with nothing to do, there was no time for rest. His hair was cropped short, but it was a neutral dark brown. He wasn't far from completely having a breakdown, but he had the whole night to get through and he wasn't going to have one here. Their mother had just brought dinner back for them and they were instructed to eat in the waiting room because Tonks told them they needed a break from sitting and staring at their tired and sick father (and also because Remus was at a point of unbearable nausea and couldn't be around food).

"Teddy, Lena," Tonks nodded her head behind her, folding her hands in front of her. "Let's come say goodbye to Dad."

"Goodbye?" Teddy demanded.

"We're not staying the night here." Tonks told him. "He's going to be medicated and taken to a special ward for the night. There's no point in sitting around or trying to sleep in these awful chairs..."

"No, I want to stay. I'm staying." He stood up to face her.

Tonks closed her eyes in frustration. "Teddy, no, we're-"

"No, I'm seventeen. I'll almost eighteen!" Teddy said. "I'm an adult, I can stay with Dad."

"We do not have time to talk about this right now." Tonks protested. "We need to go talk to your father before he has to go change."

"I'm staying." Teddy told her.

"You need sleep." His mother said softly. She grabbed his arm. "Come on, you and your sister need to come say your goodbyes."

"Is this... it? It's not, right, Mum?" Elena asked.

"Teddy, Lena, I think that you both need to... I think we need to work on, from here on out, whenever we go to see your father, you need to make sure that you hug him and tell him that you love him, and say whatever it is that you need to say to him." Tonks informed them. She was holding herself together fairly well given the circumstances, but only for them. "You need to say your goodbyes like you may not get to say goodbye again."

Teddy looked back at his sister, releasing the air that was trapped in his lungs. He couldn't read her mind, but her face told him that she was clearly overwhelmed. Her eyes widened with panic and fear. "We're going to do a good job tonight. We'll... tell him we love him and all." He assured her. "And whatever happens... happens."

"Your father is okay with dying." Tonks told them. "It's us that have to do the preparing. And I do think you did fine tonight, spending time with him and all. The healers probably already started his sedation, so he might be a bit groggy. He might die tonight, he might not, but I need the two of you to get to a point where you can come to understand that all of this is okay."

Something was off about her voice. Teddy had never heard her talk like this, but he thought he knew where it was from. Was he going to have to learn to use this voice when he talked to families of people than had died? Had she ever had to go to someone's house with someone's belongings or with a letter explaining the various freak accidents that always seemed to happen? Was he going to have to do that?

Tonks made eye contact with her son. "There's nothing we can do to help him while he transforms."

Teddy swallowed hard. "Then let's go say goodnight."

It was a miserable walk back to his room. Teddy always dreaded turning the corner into the room. There were flowers. _So many flowers._ Daffodils were his mother's favorite, and his father had said lavender was his, because it reminded him of his own mother. Teddy didn't understand it. He had known his father took frequent long, hot showers. Teddy assumed it correlated to the smell of bleach and vomit. The vomit smell was so bad Tonks was actually throwing up in the bathroom at one point. Elena has done her reading. She knew all about the symptoms he was having and the medicines he was taking and she told him that his increased sense of smell was probably bothering him. He could probably smell himself rotting from the inside out.

His arm was in a sling across his chest and his hospital pajamas looked itchy and washed out. When he couched, fluid rattled inside his chest. He had lost so much weight and his hair was thinning out to a point where he was almost unrecognizable. Yet he still tried to smile when he saw his wife and kids walk through the door.

"Hi." Tonks whispered. Remus nodded, and he began coughing. She left the kids' side and went over to the bed, caressing and kissing his face. "Hey, it's fine, don't work yourself up. We just came to say goodnight."

"You're not staying the night are you?" Remus said weakly. His voice was dry and scratchy. Tonks offered him some water, which he thought was nice, but it didn't do much.

Tonks shook her head. "No. But we'll be back with breakfast." She assured him.

"Don't waste it on me." He said lightly, looking over at the doorway. "It's okay, you can come it."

Both kids awkwardly shuffled over to the bed. "Dad...". Elena whispered. "I'm so sorry. Are you hurting? Are you feeling bad?"

"Sleepy, but nothing else." Her father smiled. "I'm okay. Please don't spend tonight worrying yourselves to death over me. I'm okay. They gave me wolfsbane and painkillers and..." Remus sighed.

Tonks sat down on the bed. She took his good hand and squeezed it. "I love you." She told him.

"I love you too, Dora." He bent up to kiss her. She locked up, not wanting him to go far.

Teddy stepped closer to him. "Night, Dad." Tonks quickly stood up, ushering the other two over to hug him. They both took their time with their hugs. "Love you." Teddy mumbled.

"Me too." Elena replied. "I love you too."

"You two are going to behave, right?" Remus pretended to look at them sternly.

"Yeah." Elena laughed, but she was crying.

"We'll do our best." Teddy nodded.

Remus looked up at his wife. "You know, I don't know why they only let you bring these two home. We've still got our other daughter still back at the school." Tonks chuckled. He looked over at Teddy. "How is Victoire?"

"She's good." Teddy nodded. "I actually hadn't talked to her-"

"Look out for her too, okay?" Remus told him. "You're only going to get one like her and you need to keep her around." His eyes glanced lovingly up at his wife.

xxxxx

"Teddy?" His mother knocked on his bedroom door. "Can I come in for just a second?"

Teddy stumbled over to the door, barely opening the door up for her. "Hey. What's wrong?"

"Can I come in? I just need to have a glance in your closet. Promise I won't go through your stuff." She replied. "Just need to look at your clothes."

"Yeah, sure." Teddy opened up the door all the way for her. He was trying to inconspicuously follow behind her, picking up clothes and trash off the floor to keep from getting in trouble. "Do you need my dirty laundry?"

"No, I just need to see what kind of clothes you have."

"Oh. Okay." Tonks walked over to his closet, thoughtfully staring at his lopsided and wrinkled closet. She picked up a white dress shirt and black jacket and straightened it. There was something sad about her expression. She picked up the pants besi"Are you okay?"

"Mhm." Tonks nodded. "Does this fit? Have you tried to on lately."

"Yeah, I wore it the graduation. Why?" She didn't say anything as she hung it up on the door. "Mum? What's going on? Mum."

Tonks was already walking out of his room and making her way across the hall. Teddy was following her, confused. Elena's door was left open. Clothes were scatter over her bed, her desk, the floor... just about every surface had clothes on it, which was ironic, considering how much Elena hated dresses. She was also in her underwear. She looked up, grabbing one of the dresses to cover herself with. "Get out!" She shouted at her brother.

"Mum, what the hell is going on?" Teddy demanded. "Believe me, if there even _was_ anything to look at-"

"Elena, did you really need to empty out your closet?" Tonks sighed.

"I don't look good in any of this!" She defended.

"Mum!" Teddy grabbed her by the shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I'm making sure the two of you have nice clothes to wear, Merlin's beard." Tonks scoffed.

The realization struck Teddy and sent him stumbling backwards. "For Dad's funeral."

Tonks paused. She nodded slowly. "Yes, for your father's funeral." Teddy let out the air in his lungs, preparing himself to say something. "And I need both of you to prepare something to say. Good memories of him, anything just about."

"Mum-"

Tonks turned back to her daughter, picking up a dress that was made of dark green velvet. "This would look nice on you, love."

"No it wouldn't." Elena argued.

"Dad doesn't want you wearing black. Doesn't really want anyone wearing a lot of black. We already talked it over and I think he would like if you wore this." Tonks told her.

"Is this really... Mum, is this it?" Teddy asked.

Tonks walked over to him. She was rubbing her hands over his arms. "For your father, yes. But we're going to keep moving, okay? We're going to be okay." Tonks pressed herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Death isn't always bad, love. He won't be in so much pain anymore."

"It's not fair though." Teddy told her. "He should get to see us grow up and all that."

"I know." Tonks was suddenly on the verge of tears. "I know, and I'm sorry."


	115. We're Starting Over—A Note

**AN: 8/29/19**

 **Dear readers, I am tremendously sorry for all of this confusion, but after trial and error, there is no way to "insert" content into a story. I can revise chapters or I can add on to the end of the story, but that's completely unhelpful as I would like to add in new chapters without sliding everything around constantly and always have a "gap" chapter.**

 **I'm going to upload a "final draft" version where all of the chapters from this story will be moved over there, but will be edited to the revised state (see the first two chapters here). As stated, there will be new content in between and at the end. The new version will NOT be a blatant copy and paste.**

 **I am very busy with school, so sorry about that.**

 **I'm also sorry about the last chapter of AHPUHHAS, as some people are confused/disliking it. I kind of had an idea of going somewhere with that, and I'm going to flesh out my thought with that as I continue adding to that story.**

 **Thank you for bearing with me through all of this. New content coming soon.**


	116. 115 Note

**AN:**

 **11/5**

 **I have some chapters that were previously written and published. I'm literally just dropping them off here.**

 **I am writing AHPUHHAS, re-writing POW, and I will be re-writing After May in my other final draft on my profile. I'm just moving files around so I don't lose them. :)**


	117. Alone

Nymphadora Tonks was walking by herself in a cemetery. If you had told her eighteen years ago where she would be, should would probably have called you a liar. Almost half of her face was scarred with faded burns that were inflicted on her while on a mission in Egypt almost sixteen years ago. There were other scars that she let stay on display, hexes and curses she had acquired for years as an auror. A streak of her hair was pink now, and it happened to be the regrown bangs she got when she lost some of her hair. The rest of her hair was a dull brown and she was actually okay with it for once. She hadn't worn her hair as anything but brown since the funeral. It was almost morbid to wear her hair pink to the memorial service, but that's what he had asked her to do.

This was her first time coming to the cemetery by herself. The sun was beating down heavy on her as she slowly approached a particularly gravestone, the weight of it sinking in her stomach. The ground was still brown and muddy from the burial. She had to carefully lower herself onto the ground, her hand resting on her middle as she eased herself onto her knees.

 _Remus John Lupin, March 15th, 1961-June 9th 2016_

"Hi, Remus, it's me, Dor." She said softly. Tonks had to scoot herself forward, her hands resting in her lap. "I know that this... is a little weird." She turned around looking behind her. The cemetery was empty except for a man cutting grass on the other end of the yard. "I've not done anything like this before, so... I'm sorry if this is a little bit..." Her voice trailed off.

 _Husband of Nymphadora Tonks_

"It's been about a week since Teddy moved all his stuff back into the house. He said he's sticking around for a bit now that school's out. I told him it's perfectly fine, of course. He and Victoire are going to find a place to live next year once she finishes school." She said out loud. "He was accepted to the auror academy, but he turned it down, actually. You know, twenty years and I still don't know what you would say to that if you were here. I don't know if you would be proud or disappointed. He... he said he needs to be home more for me and Elena. I think Arthur talked him into staying."

 _A loving father and generous teacher, he will be missed by all who knew him._

"Speaking of Lena, she's doing okay. Fleur and Bill invited her to come stay with the girls for a few days. I think they'd have fun, getting away from this mess. Not that you were a bother to us or anything, we always wanted what was best for you when it got close to the end." Tonks told him.

 _"Men at some time are masters of their fates; The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."_

"Remus, I'm sort of worried about her. I'm really worried about her. You were so right about her. She's mad at me right now and it's all my fault." Tonks was beginning to choke up on her tears. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I should have talked to you before you got so sick and I didn't and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Tears were flowing heavy down her face. She hunched over, sobbing into her shirt.

 _Fleur had happily agreed to meet her that afternoon at one of their favourite cafes. It wasn't a nice enough day that they could sit outside together, so they stuck to a secluded table inside with the warmth and their tea. Immediately, she caught on that something was wrong with her. "Dora, is... is every-sing okay?" She asked, holding her friend's hand. "What's got you so upset?"_

 _Tonks squeezed her hand and shook her head. "I... had a bad morning."_

 _"What iz going on?" Fleur wondered. "Dora, you can talk to me."_

 _"I know, it's just a mess at home right now. I just left Mungo's."_

 _"Is Remus... Has Remus... iz he worsened?"_

 _"No. He's not really changed." Tonks shook her head. "Two to twelve months, but we knew that." It didn't take long for word to spread, but everyone knew twelve was a stretch. He had made it through the January and February moons, but barely. He was still recovering. Tonks had practically quit work now. She spent most of her time making sure that whatever he couldn't do, she could pick up the slack. He couldn't hold his wand or silverware. He couldn't walk up stairs in one go. He could take showers, but not for long, or else the steam would choke him. There was no fast moving. Tonks had to be there. If anything went wrong, she couldn't leave Remus to handle it himself._

 _"Iz some-sing wrong with the kids? Iz Lena sick? Iz Teddy acting up again?" Fleur demanded worridly._

 _"I'm..." Tonks dropped her voice. Her eyes got teary. "No... it's... it's a long story..."_

 _"Dora, love-"_

 _"I know, it's annoying, but I can't talk about it." Tonks sighed and rubbed her face. "Fleur, I'm sorry, I just really need the company right now."_

 _"Zat eez perfectly fine. Just... please tell me if zis is about Remus."_

 _"It is, but it's not."_

 _"Zen what eez it?"_

 _Tonks paused. She contemplated this for a couple of minutes, silently, and Fleur patiently zipped her tea. "Fleur, I just came from Mungo's and they gave me some really bad news. Really, really bad."_

 _"About Remus?"_

 _"About me." She nodded. Then, she let out this detached laugh. Tonks sounded like she might actually burst into hysterics, or tears, soon enough. "But I can't talk about it."_

 _"Yees, you can." Fleur coaxed. "You can talk about eet with me."_

 _"I know, but if I do, then it kind of defeats the point." Tonks sighed. "It's hard to explain, I'm so sorry."_

 _"No, no, it's okay. I just want 'ou to talk to me."_

 _Tonks clenched her jaw. It took her a moment to spit it out. "Fleur, I thought I was in the early stages of dragon pox... or something else, I don't know. But I went because of Remus's weak immune system. I had to sleep on the couch last night because I got really nauseous, I had these killer migraines, and I was extremely dizzy and exhausted. I had to go, but Remus doesn't know I went because I couldn't let him get sick, and I couldn't tell him that I went, or he'll ask me what's wrong, and I-"_

 _"Did zey say what was wrong with 'ou?" Fleur asked. "You sound az eef 'ou are working yourself to death."_

 _Tonks's eyes got teary. "They... they said all my tests were clean and that I'm not sick. Then they... so it..."_

 _Fleur became skeptical. "Dora?"_

 _Tonks laughed. "Look, I don't know... about you and Bill, and that's all your business, but When Remus turned fifty, we stopped our... our birth control, right? I was thirty-seven, and we just thought, after that point... we thought that at the age you're less likely to get pregnant, and he was getting sicker, so it's not like we were... doing it a lot or anything, because he always feels like shit and it always makes me feel bad, but as it turns out, that's not how it works."_

 _Fleur's eyes grew wide and she clasped her hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, Dora."_

 _"We were wrong." Tonks smiled weakly. She looked completely and utterly terrified. She actually slammed her fiat on the table. "I guess we were really fucking wrong." Her arms snaked around her middle as she hunched over the table._

 _"You really look great for your age, 'owever. But isn't zis wonderful news, Dora? The kids vill be so excited to 'ave a baby brother or sister."_

 _"Fleur, I don't know how to tell Remus."_

 _"You've done eet before. Zis isn't like eet's your first baby."_

 _"Remus isn't going to live another six months. Much less nine. Or twelve. He's not going to get to meet this baby, don't you get it?"_

 _"Why iz zis so bad? Ze two of you vill be happy together for your last few months. You'll be happy and ven Remus... goes, and you vill have a part of 'im left behind. Three beautiful children together."_

 _"This is going to rip him in half. I don't think I can tell him. But what if he does live another, say, twelve months. What if I don't tell him and we end up wasting our time together? The longer I don't tell him, the longer he has to find out, the more time wasted. I don't think I can do this. I don't know what to do or to say."_

 _Fleur frowned. "I am... I'm sorry, Dora. I 'ave no idea what to tell 'ou."_

Looking back, Tonks laughed to herself, tears still falling down her face. It wasn't funny when it happened, but they probably looked like a couple of clueless idiots. Tonks felt the most guilt at the fact that she had wound up pregnant several times before, she had rarely intended to be. Did that make her an awful parent? She was so ready to have an empty nest. She was ready to watch her kids grow up and move on. Despite not having been pregnant for sixteen years, she didn't want to be, simply because she was tired of it. Hell, she was in her forties! She wasn't supposed to be having babies, she was supposed to stop having babies! "I don't know if you remember that night. I only remember it because I thought what happened was funny. After the fact, you know?" The weight of her words sunk into her chest. She wanted to puke. "I told you once before you passed, but then... I had to erase your memory because... you didn't know how how to handle the news. And now, our sixteen year old daughter won't talk to me because she won't let it go that I didn't tell you before you died. I think that's the real reason Teddy's staying at home. He's trying to make it up for you right now."

The silence was haunting. She tried to imagine what he would say to her, going as far as to write an entire dialogue that he would have said.

 _"Dora, you need to talk to him and try and make things right so that he'll go to school. He can't stay and waste his opportunity. You can take care of yourself. I know you can, you did it, raising Teddy while you were pregnant and I was teaching."_

Or alternatively,

 _"I can't believe you! You didn't tell me? And for what? To make yourself feel better? Dora, that's our child and I don't even deserve to know about them? Sure, I wasn't going to meet them, but why is that fair to me?"_

Or maybe he wouldn't say anything at all.

The baby squirmed in her stomach. She didn't bother morphing away the small bump on her belly. The little spud was growing a lot now faster now, and so far, Tonks hadn't bothered telling many people. Fleur knew, of course, because there are always secrets you can't keep from your best friend. Fleur was who she consulted when she first learned the news and didn't know what to do. Elena And Teddy knew. Harry didn't know. Nor did Ginny, or Bill, or Charlie, or Molly, or Arthur, or even Andromeda. Her other best friend, Sparrow Dwight, who left being an auror just a few years back had no idea. She hadn't seen most of them since the funeral. It wasn't because she was particularly hiding the baby, but because since Remus died, she slept most of the time. She talked to Kingsley and flat out told him he would hear from her when he heard from her and she wasn't going to come to work so take her off payroll, but don't dare touch her desk. He didn't know what that meant, but Kingsley knew her well enough that she wouldn't take a leave of absence without good reason.

Was it bad that she had ugly thoughts every day about the baby? Was adoption something she was willing to consider? What if it just... ceased to exist inside of her, causing minimal pain to both of them? What if it was like the miscarriage she had all those years back? Why couldn't she have had that baby instead? They were happy then. They had a name picked out, Edalynn Hope Lupin. Tonks found herself thinking about little Edalynn a lot lately. She would be about seventeen, being the middle child of the existing two teenagers. Instead, Edalynn was off in the unknown with her father, or maybe since she hadn't been either baptized nor buried (not that either of those things particularly mattered in her culture, but maybe it was important to other cultures and that mattered), she seized to exist. Why couldn't this one seize to exist just the same? Would it break her heart? Absolutely. But just as she had wanted Remus to reassure her when she lost the other baby, maybe it's better this way.

"Remus," Tonks took a deep and shaky breath. She couldn't look at the fresh mound where his body had been laid. She was busy plucking up blades of grass by their roots. "I miss you. I feel like... since you died... maybe something inside of me died? That's what's so scary. I've... I've never actually considered killing myself, but sometimes I feel like there are these thoughts that I can't get rid of and I don't know what to do." This was the part in her internal dialogue when he would cut her off and call her out for being stupid. But the dead man didn't say much. "I'm sorry. I feel like I'd be such a disappointment to you if you could see me right now."

She hadn't brought flowers with her, but she used her wand to conjure up a small bouquet of white roses and lavender. This was the man who asked them not to wear black to his funeral, and although it was unspoken, he asked his wife to wear her hair bright pink. She never thought she would do it, but she decided once the unmorphable hair washed out more, she would dye her hair completely brown again. It wasn't something she had thought through yet, but she felt as if she should leave the pink hair behind. This felt like the beginning of something new and Tonks felt that maybe it was time to leave the pink hair behind


	118. Work It Out

Bill Weasley had just gotten off of work and he wanted nothing more than to take a nap. But as he walked through the house to his room, he found his wife preoccupied with a large bag and the clothes on the bed that she was putting in it. It wasn't much, certainly nothing more than what could last her through a weekend.

"Hey, uh... love of my life? Darling?" Bill snuck up behind her, gently touching her back. He tried to make light of the situation but he had no clue what exactly it was that she was doing. "Um... what... are you up to?"

Fleur didn't look up as she folded her clothes. "I am leaving 'ou." She said bluntly. "I am leaving 'ou to go and be with the real love of my life." When she turned her head to look at him, he could tell she was joking.

"The real love of your life? Who, Viktor Krum?" Bill wrapped his arms around her middle.

She made a smug expression, flipping her long blonde hair out of her face and over her shoulder. "Why do 'ou alwayz make such bold assumptions about me?"

"Oh really, then pray tell, who is this mysterious lover you plan on running away into the night with?" Bill smiled, kissing her on the cheek.

"A certain auror, by ze name of Nymphadora." Fleur chuckled. "Ve are going to run away to an island somevere in zebmiddle of ze ocean so zat we can drink wine and gossip on the beach all day long."

"Sounds dreamy." Bill laughed. "One thing though, you can't wear any small bikinis while you're gone. I can't have all the other men staring at my wife and her girlfriend."

"No, zat iz the only sing ve vill pack, and ven I am not wearing zem, I will be naked, and you cannot stop me." She declared defiantly, a smile creeping in her face "And she vill love it on me."

Fleur became still and serious. Bill watched her continue to pack. It seemed to only be her necessities for several nights, like an emergency bag for something. "Fleur, what's actually going on?"

His wife shook her head. "Eet iz just in case."

"In case of what?"

She didn't immediately respond. "She iz... going through some 'ard times right now. I sink she may need me more zan ever, and I am packing in case I need to go and stay with her for a bit. Just, you know 'ow it iz, a day or two at a time. Not like I am staying forever. Juzt een case."

"That's... very kind of you, ma douce fleur." Bill encouraged. She was quite amused with his playful compliments. "Do you think she's going to be okay? Even with him gone?"

"She... I don't know." That wasn't a good thing for her to say. Fleur was supposed to know the ins and outs of her best friend's life. They talked about everything under the sun, even things they wouldn't dare mention in front of their husbands. Surely Tonks would have confided her troubles in Fleur of all people if she began to struggle and sink. "I made a promise to 'er a long time ago, and I told her I could keep eet if I needed to."

"Is there something you aren't telling me? Is something going wrong with her?" Bill asked. "You don't think she's going to do anything... rash, do you? Completely out of the ordinary? Could potentially bring harm to the kids?

"Not 'urt the kids, no." Fleur shook her head. "I won't talk about eet until she iz ready to talk about it."

"It?"

"Yes, it! Bill, you know zat I love you, but zis is not my secret to keep." Fleur replied. "Vile we are talking about zis: Elena, what should we do about 'er?"

"I think she wants to go home soon, but I wish Teddy would quite pestering her with it. He's only going to make it harder."

"I feel bad for 'er." She sighed. "I know zat zey shouldn't be fighting, but eet iz harder for her to cool down with him continuing to try and drag 'er back."

"Do you know exactly what they were fighting about?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded, looking over her shoulder at him. "Zat is what I cannot talk about."

"I see." Bill nodded. He kissed her on the cheek. "I was just thinking that if you're worried about Tonks's safety being alone, maybe that's when we should send Elena back."

"Zere iz a lot more going on zan jus' that." Fleur was very still too passive and distracted for his liking. She kissed him on the cheek. "I'm sorry."

"Fleur, I'm just concerned that we could lose our friend over this. This is serious, love. Do you really think she could be in danger?"

"Bill-" Fleur took a deep breath. "Juzt leave eet alone. I am juzt az frightened as 'ou are and I don't want 'er geeting hurt, but I cannot tell you what's going on."

"You can if this is a matter of life or death!" Bill protested. "I mean, really, have you not considered that before? That maybe she's never going to be the same because she's lost the love of her life like this? I'd be fairly upset myself if I lost you, I can't even imagine what she's going through with the kids. There was nothing we could have done, but it shouldn't have happened! He shouldn't have suffered the way he did!"

"I know zat!" Fleur sighed with frustration. "I know zat zis was unusual and zat she did not deserve for zis to 'appen, and I know zat her safety iz a big concern. Zat is why I am preparing in case I need to go and stay for a while."

Bill shook his head solemnly. "I know her well enough that I don't think she would tell you about that. She would just... do it without warning, I think. I don't think she would even bother with a note."

"Bill-" Fleur turned to stare at the ceiling. "She is pregnant and you did not 'ear it from me."

"She's... what?"

"I do not sink it was planned, eef that iz what you are asking."

Bill got rather quiet. "It... it is his, right? I thought... I mean, I would have thought they were too old. Especially Remus, being in such poor health..."

"'e didn't know, apparently, and zat iz why Elena got angry. Now, I know better zan to wonder eef it was 'is." Fleur said sternly. "I would not ask, with or without suspicions."

"That's odd that she didn't tell him." Bill pointed out. "They've been married for eighteen years now for crying out loud. Of course she was hiding something. Don't you think?"

"William, stop it. Now." Fleur snapped, pointing her finger at him. "I do not care what 'ou sink, she needs support right now more zan anysing."

"I just find it...very peculiar." Bill shook his head. "She's my friend, I should know her better than this, I just... I feel bad for her. I couldn't begin to understand what she's thinking and I shouldn't question it, I know, but... I mean, why now? Why not six months ago? Why not a year ago?"

"I don't know." Fleur cut him off. "But I promised 'er when she was pregnant with Teddy zat I would always help 'er with ze kids when she needed it. You did too. So now ve 'ave got to act like it."

xxxxx

"Jeez, Elena, Elena!" Dominique was completely breathless, struggling to keep up the pace. They had been running down the gravel trail that spanned behind a wooded area near Shell Cottage. She stopped, hunched over on her knees. "Some of us don't play quidditch, you know!"

The girl in front of her stopped running, turning around to go back to her. She smiled and wiped the sweat on her forehead back into her hair. "Sorry." She had her hair up in a long ponytail on her head. Being jealous of both her mother and brother's ability to morph, she had gone through a phase of dying the ends of her hair, mostly sticking with purples and blues. Now the ends of her brown hair were bleached in stark contrast.

Dominique pouted, sitting down on the gravel trail. "You're such a pain sometimes." Dominique was about a year younger than Elena. She had tan skin and curly blonde hair. Her face, chest, arms and legs were covered with freckles like her father and her older sister, Victoire. She was the middle child of three kids, having a younger brother, Louis.

"Yeah, I know. I do that a lot." The girl named Elena Lupin tilted her head, bending down to look at the girl. She had bruises on her knees and shins from knocking into various things. "Come on, we're not that far from the house. What're you sit down for?"

"I'm tired, okay!" Dominique laughed. "I'm going to stop going for runs with you if this is how you're going to act!"

"Well maybe you should learn to run faster." Elena smirked.

"Maybe you should learn to be more considerate." Dominique straightened her back to look at her. Their faces were mere centimeters apart and they were talking down their noses at each other.

Elena was staring at the girl's mouth with big brown eyes, but she didn't stand up. "Dom, I don't think we should-"

Dominique's lips upturned. She had such long eyelashes. Her eyes creased when she was happy, but it always drew more attention to her freckles. Dominique wasn't a huge fan of her freckles, but Elena certainly was. "Think we should what?"

"I thought we were over this." Elena straightened her own back, leaving Dominique sitting on the ground. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"That's what I thought until we went swimming in the lake last fall in our underwear." They had gone on an expedition on their first day of school, along with Teddy, Victoire, and one of Teddy's other best friends, and timed it well enough to not get caught. Elena had been the most insecure going, but Dominique went with her, and everything seemed... better since then. "I caught feelings again."

"If you wanted something to do with me, why did you have to go and ruin it and say those things about me?"

"I'm not taking back what I said. There's something wrong with you, Lena. You're sick. You need to talk to your mum about what's going on." Dominique cut her eyes at her. "I dunno, I just thought that night was the happiest I've seen you in a while. I keep thinking you're going to get better. You promised me you would get better, but you just get better at hiding it."

"I'm sorry." Elena mumbled. She wanted to try denying the accusation of being sick, but she didn't. At this point, it would just escalate things to a point where she didn't want them.

Among her known several illnesses that she combated, one of them was the near complete deafness in one of her ears, and the beginning of it in the other, her always low levels of blood, and the reoccurring nosebleeds and it was always assumed to have correlation to her father's lycanthropy despite her parents' denial and reassurance. But they all knew why she had those issues. They all knew she was a sickly baby and a sickly child, and now, was an even more sickly young adult.

But that wasn't the sickness Dominique referred to. The one she was referring to was a lot different and only seemed to exacerbate her other problems. It was the reason Elena had even dragged her out at the crack of dawn just to go running. It was the reason why Elena was so strangely strangely thin and always acting weird. She wouldn't mention it to a soul and everyone always assumed it was the lycanthropy gene. Dominique knew there had to be something else going on, and whenever she questioned why Elena was doing more pushups or was eating less for dinner, she shut down. Elena couldn't explain what she was feeling, she she wouldn't do anything at all.

Dominique watched her nervously wander in a circle. "Hey, are we still good now?"

Elena stopped and looked at her. "I thought we were."

They hadn't gone out of their way to tell people that they had been a thing, in fact, it took people a while to tell them that they were a thing. It was completely a joke the first few times they kissed each other and in the time it took them to realize they were dating, they had already broken it off. It wasn't a clean break at first either, with Dominique demanding that Elena finally admit that she was hurting herself, and they spent a long time not talking to each other. But despite how messy it got, they kept it quite personal, and continued to be quite close, even when things were still weird. "Are we not okay? I thought maybe you were trying to suck up to me or something. I don't care, I just don't want to yell at you anymore. I thought we had forgiven and forgotten."

That was a lot for her to say. Elena was not good about letting go of things. She didn't talk to her brother for about a year when he started dating her best friend. Yet apart of her wanted Dominique to be curious, to care about her enough to ask her at meal times if she was okay. Dominique shook her head dismissively. "I dunno. I guess I just still feel... stuff when I see you. I don't even know if I'm supposed to be feeling this stuff. I've asked myself a million times if I know what I'm doing..." She couldn't quite look Elena in the eye. "I know you're over it already. But I'm sorry for the stuff I said to you."

"You're sorry that you said it." Elena said. "But I know that you meant it and that you're going to stand by it. You said you won't take it back."

"I know." Dominique stayed quiet. "I want you to get better."

"You've already apologized plenty." Elena shook her head. "I don't want to hear about this anymore. I'm sorry too, but that's it. You're nice and all, but this isn't going to work out."

"I know, but I miss you."

Elena didn't want to answer at first. "Yeah, I feel like that sometimes too."

"That's the least helpful thing you could've said." Dominique laughed sourly. "You could've just said that you still hate my guts and never want to talk to me again and it would've been a million times easier."

"I don't dislike you though." Elena bent back down to face her. "Maybe we should head back to the house."

"My parents are leaving for work soon." Dominique mumbled, reaching for her hand. "We can stay out and walk around if we want."

"You've got to speak up, Dom." Elena turned her head to put her good ear forward.

"Nothing." She shook her head. Dominique pulled herself to her feet. She was almost as tall as Elena. "If you want to head back, we can head back." The other girl nodded quietly. Facing each other again, and they were almost the same height, but not quite. Their hands brushed against each other. "If you want."

"I think we should go back. They'll wonder where we are." Elena announced.

Dominique squeezes her hand. She nodded her head slowly. "Okay?"

Elena tilted her head. She didn't turn her head down. "That's fine."

Dominique smiled. "Let's go back then."

The two girls were walking upstairs when they saw two figures come out of the adjacent bedroom. "Teddy?" Elena said, shocked. His face was burning bright red. He was dressed in regular clothes, but Victoire was still in her pajamas.

"Elena?" He remarked.

"Why are you here?" Elena demanded.

"I came to see Tori." Her brother said simply.

"Excuse is, we'll give you a minute." Victoire grabbed her sister by the arm and they scurried off to her room. Dominique protested quietly, but they were muttering hatefully at each other in French behind the door.

"Bullshit, you came to talk to me." Elena crossed her arms.

Here he was: again. She was so angry she thought she might actually get into a physical altercation with him if she knew she would win.

She had explained to everyone that she needed a break away from the house, which was true. Remus had been his daughter's biggest motivator and role model, her biggest confident and always the man that was there to hold her when she was crying. In his last moments with her where he could talk, he told her how proud he was of her, how she just needed to find it within herself to keep moving forward.

They spent hours before his death recalling stories of each other. Remus had surprised her with how good his memory was of her as a young girl. He recalled her as a child and how she always insisted that he take her stuffed bear "for protection against the bad guys" during full moons, though he always declined. Just weeks before her twelfth birthday, it was her father she went crying to when she got her first period, not her mother, who in all her auror training, could barely look her daughter in the eye after having "the talk". Remus had to be the one to politely explain that no, she was not going to die. Remus always wrote to the children while they were at school. Even on full moons, the owl would always come and drop them their weekly letters. He would always tell her to save up her money, but since her third year, Elena always sent him chocolate back home on Valentine's Day and he would always send her a card or more chocolates back. He took her to buy her dress robes when Tonks was at work. He was the only person to know about what happened with Dominique, besides Teddy and Victoire, save for the part where Dominique yelled at her.

Elena cried the entire night she lost her father. She could barely get out of bed for the funeral and nearly collapsed, had it not been for Teddy carefully holding her up. She wouldn't move, she wouldn't get out of bed, she wouldn't eat, she wouldn't shower... And then came the baby. And then came the questions. Of course, no kid, especially a grown one, wants to hear that their mum is pregnant. And no kid wants to think about or talk about how it happened, but Elena raised some questions. Did her father know? Did Tonks have the decency to at least let her father know that he was going to have another child? All Elena wanted was to know that her dying father would have had something happy to think about when he passed, that he knew that his family loved him and wouldn't lie to him and let him down in his moment of need. Teddy snapped when Tonks started crying.

And suddenly Elena was the villain. All she had wanted was confirmation that maybe her dad had known, maybe even excited for this new baby. Maybe they had talked about names or a nursery or even what the baby was going to look like. And Tonks has stripped him of those last few happy thoughts.

Elena would have gotten into a physical altercation with her brother for being so mean to her, immediately degrading her feelings and telling her to "get over it." But instead, she put a small hole in the drywall in her bedroom. Currently, a crumpled poster depicting "Liberty Leading the People" with thumbtacks in the corners was covering it at a lopsided angle, but Elena didn't care at that point. She couldn't stand it. She needed fresh air. She couldn't look at any of her family members without wanting to scream.

"Do you really have to talk like that? Does it make you feel all grown up?" Teddy taunted.

"Mind your fucking business." Elena crossed her arms.

"Where were you, by the way?"

"You don't need to know any of my business."

"If it's not a big deal, where were you?"

"Where was I when?"

"Just now. When I came all the way over to see you."

"We were out running."

"Fun." Teddy said smugly. "Well I'm sorry sorry to bother you, but maybe some of us want to keep our family from completely falling apart."

Elena rolled her eyes. "You're so melodramatic! It's like, I leave for a fucking hour to live my own life and do my own things and and you have to act like you're framing me for murder!"

"You're not taking any of this seriously, Lena!"

"Not when you crawl all over my ass like this, I can't! I don't want to talk to her right now!"

"Maybe I'm worried you won't every try and talk to her!"

"That's not true! You know I will!"

"What?" Teddy began raising his voice. "Eventually? In what, five months when she's due?"

"Maybe!"

"Or what, are you going to mooch off the Weasley's until Christmas so you can move out?" He had his hands on his hips.

"Maybe I'm going to stop talking to you too if you're going to bitch at me like this!" Elena tried to push past him, but he shoved her by the shoulder. "Don't touch me!"

"Well you don't even know how to make a proper point, do you, unless you've got a whole slew of cuss words to hide behind!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Fuck you!" Elena shouted back. "You're always like this! You think you're trying to play dad, but guess what, you're pretty shit at it! You think you're all grown up and that you're kind of... I don't know, but leave me alone!"

"Do you not understand how upset Mum is over not talking to you right now?" Teddy demanded.

"We were in mural agreement that I needed to leave! We ALL agreed that we should back off!"

"We need your help, Lena!" Teddy told her. "We need your help around the house like the rest of us, you'll need to get a job like the rest of us, why do you think you're so special? You're always acting so immature! Why can't you just grow up for once!" Teddy shouted. Elena looked and noticed that his hair was turning red. "You need to grow up and stop being so lazy!"

Elena turned and pushed him away from her. "I hate you! All you've ever done was make my life harder! You took my best friend away from me and now you're nothing but hateful for no good reason, and I'm done! Just go away! And don't come back!" Tears we're flooding her eyes as she stormed off into the other bedroom, slamming and locking the door behind her.

xxxxx

Teddy didn't want to go home empty handed. He lost count of how many times he had tried to get in touch with his sister, and how many times his mother advised against it, and it was still inevitably fruitless.

Elena was reckless. One time, she hit him in the face with a bluffer and made him fall off his broom. She refused to talk to him when he started dating Victoire, despite making and agreeing on mutual terms. She couldn't even take care of herself well enough to stay on her feet during class. Teddy covered for her time and time again. He kept their mother from hearing all of the things that would embarrass his sister, even if he knew that it wasn't good for her in the end.

Now she was running off to the Weasley's house, living rent free, with food on the table, a bed to sleep in, clean laundry, and her own bathroom. All of this because she refused to come to terms with their mum being pregnant. What was he supposed to do, let her run away from home with no consequences? Teddy was fuming. She always got whatever she wanted and everyone always sided with her, even since she was a kid. Someone needed to hold her accountable for her tantrums. Being the youngest and being so sickly growing up, no one had ever taught her accountability. She was spoiled and jealous of the new baby and she was going to sit and pout until she got her way, whatever that was.

Teddy didn't count on there being anyone in the kitchen when he got home. His mother was at the stove cooking breakfast for herself, quiet beneath the sound of sizzling bacon. "Hey mum."

"Hey." She yawned. "Sorry. Just got up."

"I got up early anyways." He said quickly. "Went to see Vic."

"You went to bother your sister, didn't you?" Tonks shook her head. "You need to leave her alone. I don't need the two of you picking fights too. Let her be mad at me, I can handle it."

"Why?" He asked stubbornly.

"She's going to do nothing but hate you. She'll stop talking to you too." Tonks could see right through him. "She's not going to do anything until you give her space to think. That's the whole reason she left, before things escalated."

Teddy paused, awkward and alone in the middle of the kitchen. "Mum?"

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something? And I don't mean to sound rude, I just want to know-"

"Nothing you can say is going to hurt my feelings."

"Why didn't you tell dad? About the baby?"

Tonks felt like she had to say it a million times, but she felt her lip begin quivering. "I... I decided that if he could live to see me have it, I would tell him. When he started declining in May... I couldn't do it. If I had told him, it would have just crushed him. He would never get to see them."

"You don't know that. Maybe... maybe he would have been happy to know." Teddy suggested.

Tonks laughed lightly. She was staring at some microscopic particle in the air. "I told him, you know. I did actually... tell him about it, but he panicked. I... I had to obliviate him."

That was worse news than Teddy expected "Oh."

"He took the news terribly, at first he didn't believe me and then he-well, he actually laughed, because he thought I was joking. I think he was just astonished. He wouldn't have taken it any better if I waited for him to cool down."

"What did he say?"

"He just said something like... he said we couldn't afford to or manage to have a baby right now. It wasn't going to work out and we'd all be miserable." Tonks was stumbling over her words now.

"What does that mean? I mean, what did he think you were supposed to do? Just not be pregnant because he thought it was inconvenient?"

"I don't think he had a clue what to think." Tonks shrugged. "I made breakfast because I thought maybe you were upstairs or something, so I guess congrats on the sneaking out skills. There are clean plates in the sink."

Teddy nodded and went to grab a clean plate while trying to not look so obviously hungry. "What are you going to do now that you're by yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Tonks asked.

"I mean, where are you going to put the baby? Where's it going to sleep?" Teddy wondered.

"Your sock drawer?" She tried to be sarcastic, but even she was befuddled at his implication. "Teddy, I'm not going to take over your old bedrooms just for the baby. You do realize that, right? That's your space."

"I'm going to get a new place with Vic next summer, and most of my stuff'll have to leave anyways. If you can wait, I can clear out my room. I don't care." Teddy insisted. He was patiently waiting for his mother to move so that he could get breakfast too, but she didn't seem like the conversation was over.

"I'm not going to make you do that."

"But where else have you got?"

"I can figure something out." Tonks replied.

"I don't need it anyways."

"I know, but it's still your room since you were a little kid. I'm not taking that away from you." Her voice was very nostalgic. If teddy knew they had any other good options besides cleaning out his room, he would have caved for her. She sounded a bit pitiful, but for just a second, Teddy wanted to hear her emotional response, not the logical one.

"You could downsize? Lena's got what, 'til Christmas before she's an adult, then another year and a half to graduate. You could get your own house?"

"I'm perfectly fine here. I can take care of it."

"Can I at least try and help you?" Teddy offered

"You're my son, not a babysitter." Tonks rolled her eyes. "I won't use you like that."

"What? I could really give you a hand and you would be back on your feet before you know it."

"I'm okay, really." Tonks paused for a moment. "Teddy, I know you're trying to help, but I don't need it. I know I don't have Dad's help this time around, but you and your sister turned out okay, and I did half the work, didn't I? I mean, I was pregnant with a toddler when he went off for nine months for work. I've got this."

"What's going on with you at the Ministry?"

Tonks squinted with thought. "Kingsley knows something is wrong, but I'm not ready for everyone and their brother to know about the baby yet. He said something about writing me off for being unfit to work, so it's on them and not me, thankfully. So I'm going to have to tell him, probably very soon, when his office is open, but I'll still need to get a mental health evaluation, then he'll give me a stack of paperwork or something else to work on and I'll be set until I can take maternity leave."

"How are you going to work if you've got a kid?" Teddy asked. "I mean, like a baby. A newborn-baby-child."

"Teddy, you have a job. I thought you were going to work this afternoon. Look, I know you're trying to be helpful, but you're busy trying to get in your feet and I understand that." Tonks told him. "I promise, I can find other arrangements. It might be hard at first, but I can figure it out eventually. Promise, promise."

Teddy paused. "I'm sorry if it seems like I don't find you capable or something. I don't think that. I just don't want you to be alone with this."

"I'm not alone. I'm okay." His mother said softly.

He shifted uncomfortably. "How are you feeling otherwise?"

Tonks was making her way to the table and teddy tried to subtly scurry over to the stove to acquire the remains that she left in their pans. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno. Like are you... feeling bad?" Teddy wondered. "I dunno... I thought... I thought when you were pregnant, you were sick or something?"

Tonks laughed nervously. "You know at this point? I don't even think I noticed."


	119. I Care

For the first time in months, Tonks was actually asleep when the sun came up. Usually between the tossing and turning, and listening to her husband's coughing and snoring, there wasn't much sleeping for her. Now the bedroom was still. Quiet. If she laid really still, she felt like the room was moving around her. It probably hadn't been this quiet in a long time. He probably would have been upset with her for letting the dog, a fat yellow Labrador named Lola, sleep on the bed. She was a young dog and she was her mother's other baby.

They used to have a half-kneazel. He was about seventeen or eighteen and his name was Patches. He had an interesting life, including getting kidnapped, stepped on, and having his fur constantly pulled on by kids. Eighteen was young for a kneazel, but not quite unusually young. They knew he was going to pass soon. Remus said that one of them was going to go soon. He didn't expect to be beaten at his own game by his own cat.

Remus hadn't been awake when he died. He wasn't even aware of what was going on when it had been time for him to go. As far as Tonks cared, those weren't his real last moments, but she didn't know what were. His last good day? His last waking moment?

 _Tonks has just gotten out of the little bathroom inside the hospital room and was drying her hands on her jeans. Elena and Teddy were each occupying a less-than-ideal sleeping arrangement of sleeping on the same couch while attempting to keep minimal contact. Remus was in bed, stirring as he began to wake up._

 _"You're awake." She said softly. He began coughing. It was a long, wheezy coughing spell from deep inside his chest somewhere. His face was turning the colour of a beet. The bed wasn't very big, so Tonks opted to sit half on the ledge, half on his leg. "It's Dora. Don't talk, just relax and breathe slow."_

 _He nodded and tried to cover up his mouth. His fingers were stiff and each covered in tiny white bandages. He had the nervous habit of gnawing on his fingers during his transformations. His wife reached over to the bedside table and grabbed his glass of water. It seemed to take ages for him to catch his breath and when he did, he only took slow, small sips of it. He looked as if swallowing hurt._

 _"Go slow, I don't want you to choke." Tonks said lightly._

 _Remus nodded quietly. "Thanks."_

 _She shook her head. "Don't strain yourself trying to talk. Maybe you should just relax."_

 _"I'm... okay." His tired eyes looked up at her. No amount of sleep was ever going to make him feel any better. She stared into them. They were such a wonderful blue that she never wanted to forget. Neither of their children had gotten them, however. Both of them naturally had her dark brown eyes. But his eyes were different than they usually were. The life behind them wasn't there. He looked lost and confused. His forehead was beginning to break into a sweat. "Where am I?"_

 _"You're at St. Mungo's. The hospital." Tonks told him in a gentle voice. She reached over and grabbed his hand. He was struggling to squeeze it shut. "Try not to talk, okay? Are you in pain?" Remus shook his head with an unusual amount of fervency. Tonks picked up piece of paper on the side table, folded it in a sloppy half and waved it in front of his face. He closed his eyes again. "Better?"_

 _He nodded._

 _"Do you need anything?" He shook his head with less enthusiasm. "You would tell me if you're hurting, right?"_

 _Remus nodded, getting a bit agitated with her questions. She brushed his hair back with her hand. "Lena and Teddy are asleep on the couch. Do you want me to wake them up?" His eyes continued to look confused at her question. He wasn't losing his memory and he certainly knew who his kids were, but listening to her talk was like watching a spoon slowly stirring a bowl of porridge. Dull, thick, sluggish. He shook his head after a moment. They needed to sleep._

 _Remus opened his mouth to say something. He was breathing really heavy. "Dora, I-" She didn't stop him that time. She sat and watched him, hoping that he would say something. He didn't seem to be fully aware of the situation, but he was neither fully aware, nor lacking the awareness of the fact he was dying. He wasn't afraid, but he didn't know he should have been. He knew what death was, but he didn't. The fact that he didn't lack the ability to recognize her and the kids out of pure confusion was amazing. He either forgot what he was saying or he didn't have the energy to do so._

 _"It's okay." Tonks kissed his cheek. He was freezing cold, but he was not shivering. "I love you."_

 _"I'm sorry." He replied._

 _"For what?"_

 _She immediately realized she shouldn't have asked such an open ended question. Remus shook his head. "I'm really tired." He confessed. He gave what sounded like a little laugh, but his throat was rattling._

 _"Then go to sleep." Tonks assured him._

 _He began coughing again. Tonks was amazed that the kids didn't wake up. She let him cough through this spell without interrupting him. It felt like a really long time before he stopped and caught his breath. "Will you stay with me, please?"_

 _"We're all going to be here tonight, and until you wake up." He nodded. "I'll be right here if you need me."_

That wasn't necessarily his last words. His last words were mumbled and slurred. But she was right there when he took his last breath. The healers came as he began to breath more and more shallow, telling her to wake up the kids for when he started changing. Remus completely stopped breathing at almost two in the morning.

Nothing could have prepared her for losing the love of her life. None of the references that the healers gave her, none of the books she read, not even her auror training. She was supposed to be able to help ease loved ones into accepting the fact that someone had been killed or was fatally wounded. Months of mental preparation couldn't help her come to terms with the fact that she would never talk to him again, never touch him, never be able to kiss him again. She would never hear him laugh, or get to let him make her laugh. They would never get to share a bed together. She told herself over and over that he was in less pain now, that he was in a better place, and all that.

But Tonks was selfish. She wanted him there for herself. She didn't think it was forgivable to want to him to suffer for her sake.

She laid in bed for a while longer, listening to nothing. The world could wait a little longer for her to get up.

xxxxx

Teddy Lupin had never fallen in love before, but that didn't mean he was incredibly familiar with it.

He had never known a life without her. As children, he and Victoire, and eventually his sister were the three musketeers. He had been the only baby born during the war, but it was much less lonely once the other two came along. His first memories of Victoire were from a time when they were swimming at Shell Cottage and he quite literally threw her into the water. The picture of her, just a toddler with her bright pink swimsuit and wet curly hair was burned into his mind. She couldn't swim and Bill had to run out to get her back. She coughed and cried, and then cried some more. She cried so much. Teddy felt terrible, but he knew that he was just joking. His mother gave him a stern talking to as soon as she heard what happened.

They used to go and play in what they called the Forbidden Creek (they were five, they thought they were clever) near where the Lupin's lived, as they called it, filled with snakes, thorny tree branches, and several dangerous mudslides. They weren't allowed to go, but they always snuck down there to play, and they always got caught when they went home covered in mud. They were both sorted into Hufflepuff. When they were teenagers, Teddy snuck Victoire into Hogsmeade when she couldn't go herself. She used to paint yellow and black stripes on her face during the quidditch games, back before he quit the team. She learned how to play wizard's chess from her uncle Ron so that she could help him practice for his chess club meetings.

She wasn't pretty in the sense that she woke up one day, suddenly struck by the ravenges of puberty and was drop dead gorgeous. She was subtly pretty. She had always had a soft baby face. She had freckles like her father and her younger sister, Dominique. During the summer, Victoire usually stayed quite pale compared to her siblings, having unfortunately inherited that gene from her father's side of the family. Yet she always smelled like salt water. It wasn't exactly a clean smell, but when Teddy hugged her, it was like breathing all of in the good memories of the warm summer sunsets before she washed them out with her shampoo. Her hair wasn't straight like her mother's, either. She had thick, frizzy blonde hair that only worsened when she got it wet, and bangs that would always end up in her eyes before Christmas break.

They began dating when he was a fifth year and she was a fourth. They had their first kiss at Christmas and neither of them had ever kissed anyone before and Teddy was extremely flustered. ("I mean, I've kissed my mum before, but that doesn't count right? I shouldn't have brought that up right now, I'm sorry-"). He remembered her wearing her orange sweater with a knitted "V" on it, and he was wearing the dorkiest Christmas sweater he could possibly find because he thought it was funny and he hadn't exactly planned on kissing her that night. He remembered it in such vivid detail. The first time he kissed her, he drew a completely blank. He wasn't even sure what to think about how sweet she tasted.

She held his hand through most of his piercings, even being there to supervise the first time he pierced them himself. She drew his tattoo for him, depicting three swirling dragons on his upper bicep. She had also been the first one to say "I love you." It was never anything fancy, in fact, it was so subtle, he almost missed it altogether.

 _They had been dating for almost two years by that point. Victoire has been staying at the Lupin's for the night because Elena's birthday fell on Boxing Day and it was commonplace for both of the Delacour-Weasley girls to stay over. The Lupin's lived by a late schedule. Remus often closed the bookstore in Diagon Alley and Tonks... well, she was auror, however with Remus often ill due to his lycanthropy, she lived by her own schedule and just made sure that all of her papers were in the right bins on time. The kids were out of school, so sleeping in the day after Christmas was a common occurrence._

 _But Victoire couldn't sleep. She woke up early and took a shower, trying as quietly as she could to pour herself a bowl of cereal. Teddy, being closest to the bathroom, woke up from the sound of the faucet and took a chance that it was Victoire. He trampled downstairs in his sweatpants and a t-shirt. He didn't brush his hair, and currently, it was a dark indigo, but that was for a different reason._

 _Victoire was on her toes trying to reach the cabinet. She was considering climbing on the countertop except it wasn't her countertop to climb on. "Hey-" Teddy startled her._

 _"Oh, hey, it's you." Victoire smiled, returning to her cereal endeavor. "You sound like your dad when you come around corners."_

 _"Oh." Teddy nodded solemnly. That made him feel worse. Remus had been told at the beginning of his seventh year that he only had about a year to live. After Almost fifty-five years, Remus's bones, muscles, and organs had endured the twisting, pulling, and breaking over time and he was eventually going to suffocate and starve to death from it. Teddy had made the decision that he wasn't going back to school after the break if he could help it, but he had no idea how to talk to his parents, so he was stockpiling job applications on his desk in hopes his mother would get a wild idea to go into his room. This was even before Remus took a nasty fall in the bathroom and got a wound on his head that was never going to heal. His mother hadn't yet forced him to return. "Sorry to startle you."_

 _Victoire shook her head. "Do you want to be a doll and help me get that box down? Now I see what your mum was complaining about, being short and all..." Teddy nodded and reached up. He grabbed the cereal box that she had been after, but instead of handing it to her, placed it on his head, securing it with his hand so she couldn't reach. "Are you serious?"_

 _"Sorry, what was that? 'Teddy, you're the best boyfriend I've ever had and I don't know what I'd ever do without you'?"_

 _She was too tired to argue. "Teddy, you're the best boyfriend I've ever had and I don't know what I'd ever do without you."_

 _"You know I am." He handed her her prize, quickly kissing her on the lips before she could protest. Victoire rolled her eyes and went to the other side of the kitchen for a bowl and spoon._

 _She paused. Her back turned to him, she was smiling to herself about something. "I love you." They way she said it was less thought provoking and more of something she would say to any other person. But she suddenly realized she said it. Then it dawned on Teddy. He didn't reply because it seemed... natural. It wasn't like she was really saying that she loved him, so he didn't treat it seriously. "Did you hear me?" Victoire asked._

 _"Oh." He replied. At this point, Teddy was already mentally beating himself up over this response. She seemed to be waiting for more. "I- wait are you being serious, or are you playing around with me?"_

 _Victoire turned to face him. "Should I be serious?" His mouth was hanging wide open. Up until that moment, Teddy Lupin felt as if he didn't understand love. He felt as if he was too young, too immature, too selfish to feel love or be loved. He didn't feel he understood it. But he looked at her and he felt a stirring in his chest. It felt different now. Victoire looked very disappointed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have thrown that at you for nothing."_

 _"No, no it's like-" Teddy was stammering. "Wait, Tori, I'm sorry. It's not you, I'm just... you caught me off guard and I... Tori, I don't want to say 'I love you' just because you said it first. It's not fair. Can you give me a chance?"_

 _She shook her head. "Wait, I don't understand."_

 _Teddy walked over to him, holding her hands in his. "If I say I love you, you won't think I really mean it. You'll think I'm just saying it back."_

 _"I won't think that." Victoire told him. "I love you and I want you to know it."_

 _"I do know it. I think I've known it for a long time." Teddy cradled her head. "I feel like saying 'I love you' doesn't do it justice."_

 _"It's okay." She told him._

 _There was a deep pride inside of him. He felt terrible that she was upset, she just didn't understand what he was feeling. Teddy didn't understand what he was feeling. "But I do love you."_

Now she was going to be his wife. Of course, he thought he might actually die as he asked her to marry him. With his father passed away, he felt he didn't have anyone to turn to for advice, so he turned to her own father. It felt like an appropriate rite of passage. Bill was extremely excited when Teddy announced his plans to propose. He helped Teddy pick out her ring and he gave him pointers on not being nervous and how best to ask her.

Victoire had just woken up. She hadn't brushed her hair, but had tied it up in a knot, her bangs hanging in her eyes. There was a knock on her bedroom door. "Hang on a second! I'm not dressed yet!"

"It's Teddy." The voice replied.

"Is he outside?" She called back, scurrying to put some pants on.

"No, he's at your door."

Victoire stopped. She sat back down on the bed, pantsless. "Come in." Teddy stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Today he just had on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. He seemed to immediately notice that she was only in a white t-shirt a lacy pair of panties. "Hi."

"Hey." He approached her carefully. Victoire sat up, rubbing her face. He wasn't sure how close to get to her. She held out her arms to him, giving him to go ahead to come closer.

"How are you?" She asked, tilting her head.

"I came to talk to Lena." Teddy told her. "I can't find her anywhere. Or Dominique. Louis let me in."

"You're still fighting, huh? Always got something to fight about." She pulled her knees apart, nestling him close to her between her legs. "Do you want to talk about what's going on? Maybe I can help."

Teddy shook his head. He cautiously tucked her hair behind her ears, sweeping her bangs away from her charming blue eyes. "It's okay." He said simply.

Victoire ran her hands up the bottom of his sweatshirt and across his stomach, around his hips to his back. "Je m'inquiète pour toi." He didn't know enough French to know what that meant and that was okay. Victoire was fluent in French like her mother, but she liked thinking aloud in her second language. He liked listening. "No, it's not. You're clearly disturbed by something."

"I don't want to talk about it." He replied.

She rested her head against his stomach. Her hands sliding down beneath the waste and of his pants. "Is this okay?"

Teddy nodded. He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Tori."

Victoire pulled back for a moment. "Are you okay with this?"

Teddy and Victoire had never had sex. With each other or with other people, to be specific. They had talked about it in the past, and they had tried to work up to it, but they never quite got to it. Teddy felt better that they were at least being comfortable being around each other in minimal clothing and weren't just agreeing to move in together in the next year under the circumstances that they had never seen each other nude. They had caught glimpses or got close to seeing things, but besides Victoire taking her shirt off one time to get into a dress, their bodies were unfamiliar with each other. Teddy was frustrated from the more technical aspect; they were going to be married and moving in together in a year. They should've just had sex and gotten it over with. What if they actually hated each other but didn't know until they tried each other out? Victoire was frustrated from the standpoint of she wanted to know that he was completely ready to hand himself over to her.

"I'm okay." He replied. His hand touched beneath her chin.

How many more times were they going to keep stoping short? She was getting a bit sick of having to occupy herself with her own fantasies of him when she was alone in the shower rather than his actual self. Victoire rubbed the side of her leg against his. "Please don't be afraid of me." She said softly.

Teddy leaned down and kissed her. She pushed back, kissing him even harder and with more intent. Her hands were grabbing at his behind. "I'm not afraid of you." Teddy said confidently.

"Then let's just do it." Victoire yanked back from him. Her stare was full of impulsion. She grabbed his sweatshirt with two hands. "Please, let's just do it now."

"Vic, I don't think I have any condoms with me at the moment, come to think of it." Teddy told her. This was something of a lie, considering he was fairly certain he had one in the back of his wallet, but he doubted it was any good.

"It's okay, you can just... you know..." She made a gesture with her head. He didn't know what that meant.

"Isn't this kind of risky though?"

"You haven't got anything, have you? You're not shooting up with needles with a bunch of... shady muggles?"

"No, I actually trust the muggles I do drugs with." Teddy said sarcastically. Victoire rolled her eyes. "What about your parents? Aren't they home?"

"My parents already think we do it, so it's fine." She told him. "They don't care. They won't come barging in."

Teddy shook his head. "Tori, I don't know about this."

"Let's just try, okay? No harm in trying." She persuaded. The idea became a lot friendlier once they were kissing again. She was so soft and so vulnerable in his arms. Seeing this side of her made him feel completely different. He probably also felt different because her hand was wedging its way between the sides of his zipper, beneath his belt. Something inside of him grew tense and tight as she fondled with him. She wasn't wearing a bra and he found he actually liked getting to feel her breast's through her shirt, as goofy as he felt doing it. This was typically as far as they got.

He was about to pull his sweatshirt off over his head. Was this too much? This felt like this was too much. She was actually really cute when she made that face, he thought. Somehow, he continued to struggling find her to be "sexy" as opposed to straight adorable, even if they were only a year apart.

"You don't have to just stare at me like that." She told him. "What's wrong?"

"I dunno, I just feel kind of weird." Teddy confessed.

"Then let's make you feel not so weird." Victoire announced. They were kissing again, and in a way it helped ease his mind over it. Was he supposed to be doing something right about now? Did she actually liked being touched by him? Was he supposed to be taking his pants off right now? Wait, what if she didn't like what she saw when he pulled his pants down? What was his plan then? What was even happening right now?

Teddy found himself hanging over her as she sprawled out at his waist. He was suddenly very aroused at how close they were. Teddy closed his eyes, kissing her on the chest. She was so perfect to him, and he wanted to tell her but he didn't want to sound cheesy and ruin the moment they were having.

But he ruined it anyway.

It felt like someone opened a floodgate of emotion inside of him. Teddy actually stumbled a couple of steps backwards, his hand covering his face. Terrifying images splashed across his eyelids, refusing to go away. "Hang on, I'm sorry. I need a minute."

Victoire jerked herself off the mattress. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"Sorry, I'm having a moment." Teddy was physically cringing. Whatever emotion it was he was mustering up inside of him was washed away.

"A moment?" Her worry slipped away as she watched him. "Are you good now?"

Teddy covered his mouth with his hand. "I can't do this." Victoire stared with complete disappointment. "No, no, no, it's not you this time, this is completely unrelated."

"Oh yeah?" She asked. Her anger wasn't subtle.

"I'm not supposed to talk about it, Tori." Teddy looked her straight in the eye. "You don't understand."

"I don't?"

"Tori, seriously, this isn't about you and it's not even about me and I shouldn't talk about it because it's not public yet, and I'm sorry."

She was staring at him aghast. "Really? You always do this. Is there something wrong that I'm doing? Do you not like me? Are you not attracted to me or something and you just don't want to talk about it? Is there something else going on that you're afraid of, because I don't want to marry someone who's a liar or doesn't trust me."

"My mum's pregnant." The words blurted out faster than he could stop himself.

They both had their mouths open, but neither of them spoke. "Wait... what?"

He nodded, furious and silent. "I'm sorry, but it's really hard to get off when all I can think about it my dad plowing away at my mum while we were away at school." The image now passed on to her and she winced, making a face. Teddy's eyes widened and he nodded. "I know."

"I mean, that's... sweet of them, I guess... oh..." Victoire shook her head. "Ew. Wait a minute, thought Uncle Remus was like... sick. Weak. Bed-ridden. And yet he managed to muster up all that so they could- ugh. Gross!"

"Apparently he was too much bed-ridden-"

"Okay, ew, stop." They both had terrible expressions on their faces now. Now Victoire was not only picturing that, but her own parents weasled into the picture. "Just stop please."

"I'm sorry."

"Does this have anything to do with your sister? Why she's here with us?"

"Dad didn't know about the baby and Elena's not forgiven Mum for it." Teddy told her. He sat down on the edge of the bed. "I keep trying to talk to her, trying to bring her home, but she won't have it. She won't let it go. I'm worried she'll never talk to her again."

"Who else knows about this?" Victoire asked. "Sorry, I-"

"Just us three, I think."

"How far along is your mum? Obviously not that far along, cause I think we would know it... but I haven't seen her in ages. Not since the funeral. It is your dad's, right?"

"It's his, and she's only known since March."

"March? That long?"

"Yeah." Teddy nodded, then began shaking his head. "Tori, I don't know what to do, but I don't want to lose my family over this."

She touched his leg, her head shaking. "Hey, I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being pushy. I'm sorry for being mean, I'm just..."

"Frustrated." He finished her sentence, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "Yeah, me too. I'm sorry. I get it, believe me, I want to be ready for this too. I mean, what if I suck and we're already married and I just-"

"Let's forget all of this. You're perfectly fine, I promise. You've not done anything wrong." Victoire announced. "How about I get dressed and we can go somewhere for the morning- your face! Are you okay?" She was suddenly laughing. He touched the sides of his face. "You're bright pink!"

"Sorry." Teddy mumbled.

Victoire kissed him. "I love you. Don't forget it, okay?"

That made him smile. "I won't."


	120. Shoulder to Cry On

Tonks pounded her fist on the front door. "Dwight! It's me! Are you awake?"

There was a pause. Then there was a stumbling noise coming from inside. The door swung open and she was immediately greeted with a waft of stale stench. His house smelled like cigarettes, old, spilled liquor, and an overpowering man's cologne. The morning sickness washed over her again, or perhaps it was just her nerves. Either way, something was coming up and she had to swallow back the acid.

Dwight was a bit short. He was a quite attractive man when he wasn't sloppily drunk. Today he had on his eyepatch over his glass eye. He was full of fire on his best days, and was roughly the same age as her late husband with a thick Irish accent. But Dwight was also a bit rough around the edges. He was quite intuitive, but with Tonks, they tended to find themselves making more idiotic decisions in each other's company than usual.

Dwight was half-asleep on the doorframe. "Hey, Pinks." He blinked his eyes open enough to see her hair was a mousy brown colour. "Not so pink today, I see. Where you been? Kingsley said you ain't comin' to work much anymore..."

"Can I come in?"

"You been cryin' a lot lately, huh?" He asked skeptically.

"Dwight," She sighed, clasping hand hand over her nose. "I'm exhausted and I'm lonely and I'm at a point right now that I need to talk to someone before I completely lose it."

Dwight could read that her face was ridden with grief. "You ain't in some big fit or nothin', are ya? What time is it even?" He looked at his watch. "... ten in tha' mornin'?"

"I just woke up and dealt with the kids and... I've got so much I could tell you about right now." She just shook her head. He was kind of half mumbling about something and she just stood there, watching him. "Please let me come in for a bit."

"Come on," Dwight wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Woulda cleaned up if I knew you was comin' over. Why are ya wear in' such a heavy jumper? Id'n't it hot outside?" His door was crowded with junk. She was surprised he could ever find his shoes on a good day. There were dirty dishes and glasses on just about every surface. She steered clear of the kitchen due to the innate rotten smell.

His wife, Mary Anne wasn't home. Tonks didn't know if Mary Anne even lived there. There were small semblances of femininity, like very simple pictures that were hanging on the walls or the candles on the coffee table. There weren't any pictures of him, or of anyone for that matter, hanging up. There weren't any feminine shoes by the door, or any other small decorations that would have indicated that a woman had staked her claim here (Tonks was fairly certain no woman with any decent standards would want to stay in such a nasty house). But Dwight probably wouldn't buy candles simply for the aesthetic of them.

He took her to a sofa in the living room. There was an annoying sound coming from the radio, like it was picking up several channels at once over the static. There was a lit cigarette in an ashtray beside her. Dwight tuned the radio down, sitting beside her on a relatively clean sofa. "May I?" She pointed to the cigarette. He nodded. She picked it up and took a long drag, its embers flickering. "I-haven't smoked since... god, since Teddy was a baby." Her voice sounded nostalgic. "No, I remember I smoked one when Elena got sorted. So what, six years ago? And I thought that was stressful."

"That'll kill ya." He chuckled. There was a glass half-full with some gross coloured liquid in it in his hand. He took a swift drink.

"Good." She replied. Her sarcasm was a bit too strong. "My family's actually worried that I'm going to, you know, do it. Not the kids, I don't think, but I think it's crossed my mum's mind and definitely a couple of friends."

He nodded quietly. "You good?" Dwight was already pouring himself another glass from a bottle, both items she was certain he conjured out of thin air. He picked up on her uncertainty. "I mean, yer not commin' here just ta tell me what yer leavin' me on yer will, yeah? 'Cause I know you've got a nice house 'n all, but really, none o' us wanna see tha' 'appen to ya."

"You're a sloppy drunk." Tonks rolled her eyes.

"Tell me something I don' know." Dwight stared at her carefully, but he felt more sober than before. As an auror, he naturally had to be very careful, detailed, and stealthy. Dwight was none of those things naturally, but he had the great capability to fake it. His vision might constantly be blurry, and even non-existent in his glass eye, but something was strange about her. He noted when she walked in, how she carried her weight in her hips more, almost sort of sagging down. "Are you okay? Like... really, are you okay?"

She tilted her head to look at him. "I'm okay." She said in a limp voice.

"No, her not." Dwight coaxed. "Come on, yer not gonna jus' sit there an' lie to an old friend now, are ya?"

"Dwight..." She tilted her head back, staring straight up to avoid his eye contact. "Dwight, there's probably something that you should know. And I know it's a shock, it's been a shock to everyone so far, but I can't just go around and pretend like it's not going on."

"Mornin', Pinks." Dwight said lightly, looking up at her. Mascara blotched around her sleepless eyes. Her bottom lip was visibly quivering with exhaustion and grief. She would burst open any second now into a flood of tears. Dwight thought she might faint if she had the chance. "Uh oh..."

"Morning." She sniffled. She was pretending, he knew that.

"Shit, ya look like hell. You been cryin' yer eyes out?" He asked. "In the elevator?"

"No." She replied wearily, wiping under her eyes.

"I know them tears... Come over here, will ya? And shut the door behind you." He slid his chair back from his desk, the work on his desk completely discarded. He waved his hand to make their small office door shut. This was the same woman to hung up a quidditch poster behind her desk just to compete with his rival quidditch poster, decking out with Hufflepuff decor when he decked out with Slytherin garb. She had a kid she popped out during the war, with hair just like hers, and Dwight knew about that. And a husband, who was a werewolf and a teacher. He was a lot of fun.

And Tonks has been acting differently lately. She'd come into work with a smile on her lips like she knew a secret no one else did. She was a bit more cocky and outspoken than usual. Then one morning, he caught her in the office earlier than usual and the head of the department called him into the office. She was pregnant! The head of the department told him. Dwight couldn't have been more happy for his friend and her little family. Of course, he was more than miffed that for the duration of her maternity leave, he would be stuck with all her field work. They couldn't have a Mum-to-Be out dealing with the public, they might start thinking the authors were bored. Tonks was glowing. She was also a lot more sick than usual, but Dwight had never seen her happier and he didn't mind putting up with her grumpiness. He also didn't mind watching her face light up when he asked her about her day or what names they had picked out and all that other stuff.

Until that morning.

Sparrow Dwight had been in love once. He was in love with a beautiful woman named Mary Anne Flauntier, and the name fit her perfectly. She was a wild spirit, with freckles and maple colored hair. She could sing and dance better than anyone Sparrow Dwight knew. She loved watching sunrises. Her favorite food was blueberry pancakes and she loved muggle movies and plays, and she had a particular taste for expensive clothes, something Dwight found absolutely alluring. She traveled a lot for work. Mary Anne would always bring him chocolates from wherever she visited because she knew he loved it, and when she ended up eating half of it herself while they were lying in bed, he loved her even more.

And as far as he would say, Dwight would have been a father of two, at quite a young age as well. Those were the days where he would sit down for dinner with a glass on white wine and he always knew when to stop. Addiction was genetic and he didn't want to make himself vulnerable. Being Irish, there was plenty of jokes made about him keeping sober, but he was fresh out of the auror academy and he was going to be a father. Nothing in the world was going to stop him.

He never saw why he shouldn't have been a father, though he never really wanted kids. Not until his girlfriend, Mary Anne came running in, throwing her arms around him with excitement. Twins! The ultrasound said. They were pregnant, and they were going to get married, and they were going to buy a house together. And they did! Mary Anne Flauntier-Dwight was her name.

But they never had a chance to pick out names. Dwight made a list of names for her to look over when she came home, but she always said she was too tired to look at them. Dwight decorated the nursery by himself when he wasn't working nights. He chose green because he knew it was her favourite colour (which absolutely had nothing to do with his Hogwarts house, no, no, no). She continued to travel long distances by herself. But when she was home, he always held her hair when she vomited and he cradled her when she sat in a fit of hormonal tears. Dwight didn't mind any of it either. He would make her all of the blueberry-chocolate-peanut butter pancakes she could eat without inevitably puking and he'd still support her the entire time.

They were on the honeymoon when she trekked out of the bathroom, eerily quiet as she tossed her underwear into a bin, collapsing on the bed in pain. He knew Mary Anne wanted to be a mum. Dwight was so worried she would never stop crying. He took her to the hospital to make sure nothing else was wrong with her and he held onto her limp body the entire time. Dwight cared for her every second while she recovered, showering her with more affection than ever, even if she said she was well enough to go to work the next day, and as soon as she was ready, they were going to try for another baby or two, no matter what they had to do.

Then Mary Anne began traveling again... and she seemed to be gone for longer and longer periods. Of course, Dwight was always excited to get to see his sweetheart and even more excited that maybe this was the month she would throw her arms around him the way she did before and tell him that she loved him and that they were one month closer to meeting their baby. They started fighting more, which distressed Dwight. They argued about finances and sex, of course, and it turned out she was spending more on frivolous things than they were making each month. That was the first time he found a bruise on her neck. She said it was a nasty hex and Dwight, being so much in love with her, believed her.

Then she vanished for four years. He had to undecorate the nursery alone. He had to grieve the loss of both the love of his life, and both of his babies. Dwight eventually had to sell the house because the bills were too much. The only thing left of his life was an ultrasound picture he kept on his refrigerator, with colourful notations he had written in with the babies' nicknames. Rumour from someone who knew someone who was in contact with Mary Anne informed Dwight that she was living in Italy with a rich, older wizard. And according to this person, she might have never actually been pregnant, but simply failed at scamming out Dwight. Then the person frowned, telling Dwight that at the very least, the babies weren't his, because he was one of the several other sweethearts that Mary Anne had overseas. Dwight didn't see her again until her entire scheme fell apart and she was arrested when her bills stopped adding up with her income and purchases. Ironically, none of her lovers visited her in jail. But her husband would visit every Saturday, with chocolates, a magazine, and promise to save up to bail her out. And he always kept his promises with her. Nowadays, he found himself running into her, but only when it was convenient to her.

Tonks shut her eyes, tears still fighting to spill out. She probably didn't notice, but her arms were wrapped tightly around her middle. It had only been a few weeks since she announced her pregnancy and Dwight had playfully told her to do all of his paperwork since she was desk-bound. This was apparently a surprise to her when she accidentally found out after a particularly difficult mission, but she loved talking about the baby. She loved being excited. She and her husband had no nursery to repaint, but supposedly, Tonks confessed that they had a name ready to go. Now all of it was gone in an instant. Dwight felt guilty. He wished he had at least physically felt his loss, that maybe he could relate somehow. Tonks had to endure it. She might not have said it, but Dwight was good at knowing people, and he knew those tears. "Dwight, I'm f-"

"Yer about to start cryin' so don't give me that crap." Dwight snapped. She dragged her chair over behind his desk, sitting down. "Why didn't ya call in sick?"

"Because I'm fi-"

"'Cause yer tryin' be a bloody-" He stopped himself short. He wanted to call her an idiot. She probably just needed to lie down before she did actually hurt herself. "I'm sorry."

Tonks shook her head. "You didn't do anything."

The two sat quietly for a while. "Can I do anythin' for you? Yer husband?" He felt utterly helpless, staring at his friend. He wanted to do something, anything to fix her tears. He wanted to hug her tighter than he had hugged anyone else in his life.

She shook her head. "We'll manage, I think."

Dwight frowned. "Do ya want me ta go tell the uppers or do you wanna?"

Tonks shook her head again, mumbling a thanks as her partner headed out of the office. Sparrow Dwight, in his fuzzy, hangover-induced haze, didn't just go and talk to their superiors. He marched straight up to Kingsley Shacklebolt's office for auror Nymphadora "I don' give a bloody shit if she ain't here wit me, she's havin' a complete come apart in the office and she needs to be in bed right now or else she migh' actually star' hemorrhaging" Lupin. They were going to look after each other, and besides, he owed her one after the time a wizard broke half the bones in his face and Tonks had to be the one to cover for him.

Tonks stared back in confusion, awaiting some kind of a response.

"I thought... I thought... wadn't Remus my age when he went? How long's 'e been gone fer now?" Dwight said simply.

"It was a complete misstep on our part, honest." She shook her head. "Right before he died, was when I found out."

"I thought Remus'd be a bit too old to knock you up again. Wouldn't you've started going through menopause or whatever? What was he, fifty-five?"

Tonks threw up her hands. "You caught me. I'm the .0001 percent. Dunno how it happened. Dunno why it's me." Something was rather off in her voice. "Dwight, I don't know what to do." She was suddenly crying and it didn't seem to be out of search for sympathy. "I'm stuck here, my husband's dead and my kids are pissed off at me."

"They're angry at you? Fer what?" He demanded.

"I... Dwight, I didn't tell Remus." Tonks was sobbing even harder, her head in her hands. No amount of cigarettes we're going to clean up that mess. "He died and he had no idea! I had to tell the kids when they started asking questions and all. Teddy's... frustrated, he misses his father, and Merlin's Beard, Lena's completely run off to live with a friend and she won't talk to me and Teddy keeps trying to get her to come home, which I appreciate, but come on now, she already hates my guts and thinks he's been set up and all-"

"Pi-" Dwight shook his head. He swiftly sat down beside her. "Nymphadora Tonks, yer gonna to be okay. You know that. In tha end, yer gonna make it ou' on top o' this. It don't matter no more because 'e's dead. You gotta grieve real good now, and it's gonna get bette' eventually."

She was still crying in her hands. "I'm such an idiot. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to feel better. I can't feel better, because I'm a complete moron!"

"Quit beatin' yerself up like tha'. Ya can' fix it now." He wasn't exactly sure how to comfort her. He attempted to hug her. They had been a bit more intimate in the past, never going further than platonic snuggling after a nightmare episode in Egypt, yet he felt like he was breaking in and robbing her personal space. "I'm sorry if I'm a bit insensitive, I'm really tryin' ta help."

Tonks have a courteous laugh. "I'm sorry to be such a bother to you. I'm just... lost right now."


	121. Feelings of Insufficiency

_"Don't worry about that." Tonks insisted, setting down the plate she was washing in the sink to scold her husband as he was going to scrape the remains of his unfinished plate into the garbage. Remus stopped in his tracks and let out a sigh. She quickly picked up that something else was bothering him. "Remus? What's wrong?"_

 _He wordlessly shut the lid on the can, turning his head towards her. "I need to go talk to Lena."_

 _"Why?" Tonks cocked her head, tilting her head. She shut off the water._

 _Remus rubbed his hand over the bandage on his forehead. "There's a bunch of food in there, wrapped up in napkins. She spat out her dinner."_

 _"Erm," Tonks awkwardly walked over towards the trashcan. "What?"_

 _He reached down into the trashcan and picked up a wadded up a napkin that appeared to have chewed up food in it. His eyes flickered with anger and he tossed it back down. "Dora, I'm going to talk to her."_

 _"Well geez, I think she could've just said she hated my cooking." She mumbled._

 _"We can't let this keep happening. I'm done. I am so tired of putting up with this. She can't be allowed to act like this."_

 _"Woah, woah, hey, what?" The anger oriented at their daughter was off-putting. Tonks tried to draw him back in. "What the hell are you going on about?"_

 _"She isn't eating. How can you not see this?"_

 _"Remus..." Tonks took a deep breath, putting her hands on the sides of his arms. "You're... you sound a bit... I'm sorry, but a bit delusional, love."_

 _"Excuse me?" He shot back in bewilderment. "Delusional?"_

 _She shook her head. "You're picking through the trash to feed into a theory that there's some big conspiracy about Elena... not eating her dinner? You sound completely paranoid!"_

 _Remus turned his head and huffed. "You're okay with her spitting out her dinner?"_

 _"I'm not going to jump down the throat of my teenage daughter simply because she's not hungry?"_

 _"It's more than that, Dora. Have you not noticed how much weight she's lost?" He put his hands on his hips. "How baggy her clothes are? Have you even seen her in her quidditch uniform on her? She's too thin!"_

 _"What are you even going on about. Really, if there was something wrong, the healers would've said something to us by now. She'd be... we would notice more symptoms!" She grumbled. "Did you completely forget about the... damn, I can't remember the stupid name. The deafness! The damn bloody noses, and the bruises, and the fainting! This has always been normal, this has always been the way she is, Remus."_

 _"This? This is not normal." He snapped. "How can you not see this?"_

 _"I dunno, I don't see how you can make a mountain out of an anthill." Tonks said defensively. She could feel her worst fear creeping up behind her. The healers has made it very clear that with his own illness, his body would break down, piece by piece. Eventually, his mind was going to have to go. "You are completely paranoid. I can't even... I can't even begin to fathom what you're talking about. Why-how could you even say that?"_

 _"I don't know." Remus's voice got quiet. "But I think this has been going on for longer than we give her credit for. We need to talk to her."_

 _"I'll do it." Tonks said. "I'll... I'll sit her down, I can... figure out how to talk to her about it._ _What can we even say to her about this? I don't want to frighten her, but I'm worried that if this gets out of hand..."_

 _"She is killing herself, Dora."_

 _"She's not killing herself. You are blowing this out of proportion." She sucked in a breath. "Come on, I'm sure if there was a problem, we could make sure she got medical attention and everything would be fine. Really, you don't think this is something all girls her age go through?"_

xxxxx

The front door shut with quietly. Tonks turned her head away from the stove to see who had let themselves in. "Elena?" Her voice broke.

"Hey Mum," Elena tried to sound as casual as possible. She dropped her duffle bag on the floor.

"You're back." Tonks said bluntly. "I was just starting on dinner if you're... you know, if you're sticking around."

"It's almost September." Her daughter tried to slip in.

Tonks turned back to the vegetables she was boiling. "So you're going back to school?"

"Yeah... why?"

"I thought maybe you were dropping out." Tonks sighed. "I didn't know anything, when you were coming home or if you were going to go back and take classes."

"I think I should. Only two more years left, I guess, and I'm still prefect. Slughorn would be mad at me."

"Are you still seriously thinking about pursuing potions?"

"I think so."

"Are you thinking about any jobs you might want?"

"I dunno, maybe like, an apothecary or something. Making medicine."

"I think that might be a great fit for you. Have you talked to any of your friends over the summer?" She tried to keep her voice from sounding upset.

"They don't really write to me." Elena said bitterly. "'Cept maybe Dominique and Vic."

"Maybe they're busy—Lena, could you help me get the strainer out of the cabinet?" Tonks was carrying a hot pan of water and vegetables, being extremely careful not the spill the boiling water on herself or drop the pan on her feet. It seemed to be perfect timing too. Tonks was now big enough she couldn't quite bend down to get into the lower cabinets the way she wanted to.

"Okay." Elena dug out the strainer and set it beside the sink, obviously ignoring her mother's outstretched hand. "How much longer until dinner?"

"Thanks." Tonks grumbled at the passive aggressive gesture. "Dunno, I'm following one of Nana's recipes for lasagna and I think it looks underdone, but I don't know. Might take another ten minutes or so. Could you go let your brother know?"

"'Kay." Elena turned on her heels. "TEDDY!"

Tonks squeezed the bridge of her nose. "Elena, I meant go _get him."_

"I don't know what he's doing up there." Elena shot back.

"Just go knock on his door please." Tonks said out of exhaustion.

Elena bounded up the stairs. She pushed open his door, but he was gone. He probably hadn't left the house. She looked out the window and saw a person sitting on the porch. Teddy was slowly coming down off of his tears. His hair was jet black and long enough that it made him look raggedy. His auror academy acceptance letter was clutched in his fist, crumpled and tear stained. It was too muggy outside for him to be wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, sitting on the hot concrete of the back porch with his knees pulled up to his chest.

"Hey, meathead." Elena announced loudly, letting the door bounce off the hinges as she walked out to see what he was up to. "Came to get my stuff for school. Mum said dinner's almost ready.

Her brother squeezed his eyes shut and groaned. _"_ Why are _you_ _here?"_

"Dude, why are _you_ _crying?_ Your hair looks weird. You look like you haven't washed it in a few days."

"I'm sorry, am I not allowed to cry at my own house?" He snapped back. Teddy sniffled hard, his breath evening out.

"What's wrong?" Elena pressed, sitting down beside him. "What's up?"

"Just shut up, will you? I don't want to talk to you right now." Teddy wadded up the paper onto a ball and threw it hard against the ground before retreating back to his curled up position. His sister leaned over to retrieve it and flatten it out.

"Your acceptance letter." Elena remarked. "Why did you ever turn them down in the first place anyways?"

"I thought it was a good idea. I thought it was better if I stayed here to help Mum." He growled. "And now I don't know what I'm even supposed to do! I've gone to _four_ job interviews this week, I don't know if I even want to take them, but I know I have to because I need money, but I don't even know what I want to do and I don't want to spend the rest of my life working a minimum wage job! I'm _trying_ to be grown up, but I don't have any _fucking_ clue what I'm doing! _"_

Elena sighed. "You could... you could always ask they take you back in."

"I already talked to them. They aren't accepting again until next fall." Teddy remarked. "Besides, I don't _want_ to be an auror."

"What are you even talking about, you've wanted to be an auror for years. I _remember_ how badly you wanted to get into the academy, _what changed?_ Were you waiting for another war or something? No offense, but you don't seem like a big hero type."

"I never wanted to be an auror, I just... I wanted to sound smart when people ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up."

"And now you're grown up and you're stuck." She sighed. "What about Victoire at the bank? I think we're lucky enough that you can name drop some pretty important people until _someone_ has to hire you. Grandpa Weasley, Uncle Harry, Bill and Fleur, Ginny..."

"How is that supposed to help me? I'm not really good at anything, I don't have any meaningful skills, I feel like I've not done anything meaningful with my life."

"Yeah, I feel like that sometimes." Elena said.

"But you play quidditch. You're one of the best on your team. You're a _prefect."_ Teddy pointed out.

"I didn't ask for any of this. I don't know." She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're smart, you've got to be a _little_ smart-you were _captain_ of the chess team-you've got friends and a pretty girlfriend. You've got so much going for you, but you're kind of self-sabotaging. Like... really? You don't have to try and play dad. You're putting so much pressure on yourself to succeed that you can't even focus long enough to work."

Teddy looked incredibly distressed. "Thanks, _Lena."_ He snarled. "Then what does that make _you?"_

"Hey, I never said anything about me being some kind of saint." Elena said quietly. "I don't have it any more figured out than you."

"Is that why you don't eat?"

Her eyes shifted down to the grass. "I _eat."_

"No you don't." Teddy didn't want to argue. "Mum doesn't say anything about it because she doesn't know how to talk to you about stuff. She knows you hate her and she doesn't want to try fighting you anymore."

"I don't hate her."

"Maybe you should make sure she knows that. And I think Dad wanted you hospitalized, but Mum was too frantic about him. She cares, I know she cares about you. She's just confused about what to do to help you."

"Why would Dad do that? Why would he want that?" Elena said shakily.

"Because what if you fall off your broom? What if one day you get so sick you fall down a whole flight of stairs? Because maybe you're doing something you aren't supposed to do? It's going to make your heart stop, one way or the other, but I guess if that's what you're going for, I'm not going to sit here and let you do it." Teddy said. _"Why?_ Why do you do it? Is it because of Dad? Or Mum, or me, or Dominique?"

"I just... I dunno, I feel like I'm not good enough for anyone."

"I don't know how to tell you that you are, without you hating me, saying I'm lying, or it being weird." Teddy remarked. "But I have to ask as your brother... it's not because of what was going on between and and Dominique, was it? Because you're... you know, the two of you..." He left his sentence open ended.

"No!" His sister was miffed. "That's stupid. Get over it."

He bit his lip nervously. "Why weren't you going to tell me that you slept with Myles?"

Elena just shrugged. "I didn't. The whole rumour started 'cause one of the boys saw him helping me back into my dress back in his room. We just... we didn't _do anything._ We didn't do anything other than kiss."

"Why did you do that?"

"I was mad at you for dating Victoire. I lost my best friend because of you." She tilted her head. "I wanted to make you mad at me."

"You made me more confused than anything. Don't worry though, Myles didn't gossip about you or anything. He was nice about the whole thing. I don't think he was any more interested in you than you were in him." Teddy said. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you smell something _burning?"_

Elena lifted her head. Something nearby did in fact smell like it was burning. She groaned and got to her feet. "Come on, let's go clean up the mess."

Their mother was standing trying to pry open a stuck window, a cloud of white smoke hovering in the kitchen. Teddy coughed. "Hey, um... Mum?"

"I know, I know-" Tonks walked time the other side of the kitchen as the smoke detector started going off. Elena was already climbing onto the cabinet to take the smoke detector off the wall. Tonks rubber her hand over her face. "Sorry."

"Does... anyone want to order pizza?" Elena suggested timidly.

"Me." Teddy replied.

Tonks stared at the lasagna, dejected. "You get the phone, I'll go get my wallet from my bag." As she disappeared into the other room, Teddy cut his eyes at his sister.

"You're going to eat it, right?"

"Of course I am." Elena feigned confidence, hopping down off the counter.


	122. Angry

"Daaaaaaaaad, Teddy's snogging Victoire!" Lily Luna cried.

"So you _interrupted_ them?" Ginny laughed. "You're worse than your brother, honestly."

"I was helping Lena with her stuff!" The young girl's eyes got wide and she gasped loudly. "So when Teddy and Victoire get married, he's _really_ going to be apart of the family, huh?"

"Yeah, kind of." Harry sighed, ruffling her hair.

"Daaad!" She squealed, smoothing our her bob. _"Stop!"_

Victoire and Teddy had quickly forgotten their abrupt interruption. Victoire still refused to let go of her boyfriend, knowing they didn't have much time left before the next several months. They couldn't come to talk about it, but both of them were extremely apprehensive about the coming nine months. Victoire needed to prepare to graduate, and though she had been lucky enough to get a decent internship over the summer, there was an increasing pressure to finish off her year with good grades.

"You're going to write to me, right?" Victoire said flirtatiously, her arms wrapped around Teddy's neck.

"Absolutely." Teddy replied. He was squeezing her ribs a bit too hard, his face buried in her shoulder. "Every week. Unless you want me to come visit you at Hogsmeade. I thnk I could still sneak in." He smirked.

Victoire laughed. "I'm okay. But you can write to me as much as you want. Or I'll write to you as much as you need."

"Nah, I think I'll survive." Teddy said. He picked up her hand and looked over her wedding ring. "Maybe you should take this off. Are people going to pick on you for getting engaged over the summer?"

"I'm not taking it off!" Victoire said defensively. "No way. It'll take people a couple months to knock it off, but I don't care what they've got to say about it."

"It's not... _weird,_ is it? That I'm older?"

Victoire kissed his cheek. "I love you. And I'm not taking my ring off until I see you again, okay?"

The other Lupins were running late. Tonks insisted her nausea wasn't that bad, but Elena argued she had no business driving the car when she was so sick. However, neither child had a valid driver's license and Elena had a history of infamously driving the car into her mother's flower beds when she got in too much of a hurry. No one wanted to be fighting, but it felt like they were right back where they started and they were on the verge of yelling at each other before Teddy announced he was driving, license or not.

"Here, love, let me help you." Tonks pleaded, hurrying behind her teenage daughter. Elena was struggling to lift up her heavy trunk up the steps of the Hogwarts Express. Even for a beater, her arms looked floppy as she tried to maneuver it.

"I've got it." The girl snapped back at her, tilting her head back up to look at her, before angrily huffing her hair out of her face. She could tell her mother looking at her with disappointment. "Sorry."

"It's okay." Tonks said softly. She was much too tired to be fighting right now. She felt something in her back move a wrong way when she bent over. "Just let me help you, please."

"You can't, you're pregnant. No heavy lifting. Remember?" Elena said. Once her trunk was up into the crammed hallway, she let it be and returned to the outside, her new broomstick clutched in her hand as a sort of emotional safety mechanism.

Tonks was messing with her daughter's jacket, trying to smooth it out, whether or not she was doing it consciously. "Elena, will you please promise me that you're going to behave?"

She stared up at the ceiling. "I mean, yeah, unless I pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower first."

"Elena." Tonks said firmly. "You have... two more years and you're out of there. That's not really a lot of time." Her daughter wasn't engaged in the conversation. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah." Elena sighed. She fixed her jacket on her own, though it didn't change any. "I've gotta go. Prefect stuff."

Her mother very quickly threw her arms around her. "I love you. I love you so much. And I know this year is going to be a hard year, but please owl me if you need anything-"

"Yeah." Elena nodded. Her knuckles were white against her broom. She swallowed back her thoughts. "Bye."

Her mother lovingly smoothed out her hair. "Bye."

"Hey half-breed, your stupid trunk's in the way!" A second year already on the train shouted from the steps.

In a split second, her wand came out of her pocket and was armed in her free hand. She reacted before her mind even thought about what she was doing.

 _"Flipendo!"_

The boy's body slammed against the window of the hallway. Tonks gasped and threw her hands over her mouth. "What did you do!" She shrieked.

It finally occurred to the girl that she was bearing a weapon out in the open in the middle of the train platform, a young boy with wide eyes staring up at her. People were staring at her, but she didn't know what to do. Her hand was shaking and she refused to lower her wand, even as the boy was pulled to his feet by two of his friends.

"What did you do-" Tonks yanked her hand down, forcing her to let go of the wand. "What the _hell_ is wrong with you, Elena? You had _no excuse-"_

The train gave a final warning whistle. Elena shot her mother an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry. I have to go, I'm sorry-" she took back her wand and hurried onto the train without looking back. The boy glared at her as she boarded, the door closing behind her.

"Freak." The boy spat. "I'm telling _everyone_ what you did."

"Do it then." Elena said back. She was lingering by a divider so that as the train pulled out her mother couldn't catch a glimpse of her, and so the other way around.

"They'll take your prefect badge away. I don't see why they don't have to check your stuff. Who knows what the werewolf is trying to smuggle in the school?"

The train lurched to a roaring start. "I said _do it,_ now fuck off." Her voice cracked, exhausted.

"Hey," a soft girl's voice said, cutting in to the conversation. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Elena nodded.

"She wasn't talking to you!" The boy spat.

"Are _you_ okay?" Dominique asked him bluntly.

"Yeah." He wavered.

"Good." Dominique rolled her eyes. Her hand wrapped around the girl's arm. "Come on, Lena. Just leave him alone."

"You're not even going to apologize?" The boy demanded.

"Sorry." Elena mumbled, dragging her stuff down the corridor.

Dominique took her broom out of her hand. "Have you heard the news? Victoire won't shut up about it. She heard from Angela, one of the girls in her dorm, who's dating a boy in the Slug Club and heard it from there and-"

"What news are you even talking about?"

"You're tied with McGregor for quidditch captain. Slughorn's judging tryouts to see who gets the spot."

"Or I could just tell her to take it."

"What?" Dominique sounded like she was about to laugh. "Are you kidding?"

"I don't want it."

"What? Why?"

"I just... don't." Elena said. "I don't want to be captain."

"Yes you do." Dominique said firmly. She opened the door to a compartment where Victoire and a couple others were sitting. "You've been working for this since you were twelve and you're giving it up now? For what?"

"I don't _want_ to be captain. I don't think I can do it."

"Guess what, you're gonna kick ass, Lena. I'm not letting you back out now." Dominique gestured her into a compartment where Victoire was already sitting.

"Well, I'm probably going to be expelled now anyways!"

"I heard the commotion, what happened?" Victoire sat up. Her owl chirped and flapped its wings uneasily.

"Forget it." Elena dropped herself down beside the window and looked out into the platform. Her mother was still there, standing beside her brother. It was still jarring to see her pregnant, and almost just as upsetting to see the expression on her face. Harry was beside her and she shifted her weight to put her back to the window. He was watching the train cautiously and Tonks was saying something to his. His expression grew equally concerned, his eyebrows knitting together. Harry's eyes scanned over the window, briefly meeting with his goddaughter's, his hand covering his mouth thoughtfully. Elena looked down at the floor again. She didn't need anyone else being disappointed in her. Which reminded her, he had insisted on giving her a gift before she left for school that year, but it was tucked safely inside her trunk, still wrapped in its paper. It was likely a new book anyways and she didn't quite care about that so much right now. She was actually surprised he even remembered she existed, given that he was probably too preoccupied with Albus to even think of her.

xxxxx

"Miss Lupin," McGonagall said solemnly. "I believe you know why I called you to my office tonight."

"Yeah."

"May I offer you some tea?"

"I'm good."

She was already pouring her tea anyways. "You lashed out on a fellow student today on the train. A fellow Slytherin, nonetheless."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"He called me a name."

"I see." She replied. "Now tell me, does this really have anything to do with his confrontation?" Elena stared down at her tea. "You likely have a lot on your mind at the moment, do you not?"

"I don't know." She replied, picking up the cup, and gently blowing air on it.

McGonagall chuckled. "You mean you don't know if anything is wrong?"

She shrugged. "If you want my prefect badge, I don't care, I don't want it. You can have it."

"I would rather know why you reacted so quickly. I would rather hear why you should keep your badge. Besides, I cannot take your badge. You're in Professor Slughorns' jurisdiction."

"Please just take my badge. I'm sorry if I hurt him, but I don't want to talk about this right now." Elena's eyes were drawn down to the floor. The older woman was staring at her over her glasses. "You could honestly suspend me or give me detention 'til the end of the year. I don't care. I didn't really want to come back anyways."

"Then why did you come?"

"I figured it would make my mum happy."

"I'm going to assign you to detention for now. However, I am concerned about what this means for you. You've never shown a significant history of violence or aggression, save for that incident with your brother on the quidditch pitch." McGonagall nodded. "Maybe it would be more productive if we ought to talk about your anger and how to manage it. What are you going to do to prevent this from happening again?"

"I guess I just... won't do that again?" Elena shrugged. "I don't know. I don't hurt people, usually. I usually just ball it all up and leave it inside of me. I wouldn't hurt anyone if I could help it."

"Perhaps the next time you feel this way, you should seek out you head of house. Or perhaps your friends, the Weasley girls. Or your mother."

"I will."

Professor McGonagall took a sip of her tea. "What do you like to do, Miss Lupin?"

"I dunno. Quidditch?"

"Anything less disruptive?"

"Um... Potions?"

The professor nodded approvingly. "I'm certain Professor Slughorn would happily mentor the daughter of his friend, were you to promise to stay out of trouble. Perhaps this would be a more healthy outlet for you to pursue."

Elena nodded. "I'll talk to him. Thank you for being patient with me."

Professor McGonagall returned to her desk, her neat cursive writing out a hall pass. "And Miss Lupin?"

"Yes, Ma'am?"

The note flitted into the air in front of the girl's face. "Please help yourself to a biscuit on your way out." Elena caught the note and got the her feet. She tried to be as obvious as possible in taking a biscuit from the glass jar on the table beside the door. "Take two, if you'd like."

They proved to be valuable, trading it to a seventh year Gryffindor prefect for the ability to slip out of the Great Hall to go to the dungeons.

"Hey prefect, what's the password?" There was a girl leaning against the portrait, blocking her way in to the commons. She looked to be about Teddy's age. Her hair was bright platinum, and she had a narrow nose and sleek cheekbones. Her hair was such an unnatural blonde, much different from Fleur or the other Weasley girls that it couldn't have been her own. Elena quickly recognized her as a particular seventh year. The girl didn't have a lot of friends and many of the people in her house promptly ignored her. There was something about her that was just... _weird._ She didn't talk to people and she had gained a bit of a reputation for herself of causing trouble. Not the good kind either. She was that name in the yearbook that everyone recognized, but couldn't tell you what it was if you asked. Elena thought she had been in Teddy's class, but she thought it may have been rude to ask if she had been held back a year.

"I can't do that. You have to go back to dinner." Elena told her, straightening up.

The girl smirked. "I see you're going to do this the hard way, yeah? You're supposed to come with me."

Elena winced. "Look, I know I'm not supposed to be out of the Great Hall. I just want to go to bed. Please just go back to dinner."

The girl ignored her. "You're the Lupin girl, aren't you? You've got that cute brother that graduated last year. He was a metamorphmagus."

"The one and only."

The strange girl seemed amused. "I'm surprised they let him get away with his hair the way he did. He looked nice with his blue hair."

"He's got a fiancee anyways."

"Bummer." The corners of the other girl's mouth upturned. "I've always wondered what I would look like with hair like that. I think people might be angry at me though. But I don't think people like me anyways." Elena ignored her comment and crossed her arms, defiantly leaning back against the portrait. "You're quidditch captain right?"

"I'm... in the competition for it."

"Oh yeah! You're up against the _McGregor_ girl. Well, I'd vote for you." She rolled her eyes. "There's a bet going around that you're going to hook up before the season's over."

"Aren't you hilarious." Elena said dryly. "Seriously. I can't let you pass. Not happening."

"It's not like everyone doesn't already knows that you're gay."

This made Elena extremely defensive. "No one knows I'm gay, because I'm... not?" Her heart was frantically pounding in her chest. "I'm not gay."

"Mhm," The weird girl purred, her eyes scanning up and down Elena. "Is that what you tell _everyone?"_

"I don't care if you think this is funny, I'm still not letting you in the dorm." Elena quipped, trying to muster up her courage to plant her feet. "So stop trying to blackmail me."

"Are you going to tattle on me for being out, are you prefect?" She made a face. "You don't even know my name, do you?"

"Slipped my mind, I suppose." Elena said dryly. "You have to go now."

"I'll fight you for it. Are you good at dueling? I heard you tried to throw a second year out a window."

"Look, I was just almost expelled for that, can you please just go eat dinner!"

"Wouldn't that have been funny?" The girl laughed. "He _did_ call you a slur, for the record. I think you should've hit him a lot harder."

"No! It really wouldn't have been funny, and that's not exactly a good excuse!" Elena paused, picturing the boy falling out of the window, how the people would have reacted, how upset her mother would have been.

"But I made you _think_ about it." The girl smirked. She was shorter than Elena and now all Elena could imagine was how easy it would be to go after her now. She tried to listen to the headmistress's warning, that her anger would surely be her downfall. It was becoming obscured by her want to punch the smugness out of that girl's face. "You're quite _angry."_

"You're being quite annoying." Elena persisted. "I'll write you up."

"Won't be the first time, you know. And you don't even know who I am." The girl cocked her head. "Why are you so _angry?_ Maybe it wasn't the _best_ course of action, sure, but I don't see why a harmless jinx got you in such big trouble. I'm sure much worse is used in the classrooms anyways. And if he didn't want to be hit, perhaps he should learn not to call people names. I think he had it coming for him. I mean, really, a second year knows how to block a spell." She laughed.

For a moment, there was a wave of relief. Not _everyone_ had judged her for what happened at the station. She was likely to get a howler from Tonks at breakfast. Her guilt and shame receded for a moment and it felt good to have someone empathize with her for once and not immediately start yelling.

"Maybe... but he's probably worse off now than before. I probably lived out all his worst ideas about werewolves." Elena mumbled. "My dad would've wanted me to take the high road."

"When did the high road ever teach anyone a lesson?" The girl winked and held out her hand. "You aren't so bad. You're kind of cute when you're timid. What's your name, anyways, prefect? You know, since we apparently aren't going anywhere any time soon."

Elena hesitantly reached out to shake her hand. "Lena."

"Oh come on now, I'm just teasing." The blonde girl nodded in approval. "Delphi."


	123. Name coming soon probably

**AN: I'm hoping to add more Teddy-centric content soon. Thanks.**

 _"I heard about what happened with the boy on the train. I couldn't see it in time, or else I would've intervened. I hope that this can be a lesson to teach you not to draw your wand out of emotion. Maybe keep it tucked in the bottom of your bag for the next couple of weeks._

 _Albus has been having some problems the last couple of months, mostly anxiety related to school._ _I'm starting to get seriously worried about Al. Could you drop by and have a word with him? I'm sure hearing some words of encouragement from his big sister would cheer him up. He's just as apprehensive about being in Slytherin as you were when you were eleven._

 _I hope you've opened my present by now. I'm sure you took one look at it and determined it was just a ratty old book, but I'll have you know that there's some good information on potions in there. I hope you can try and learn a lot from it. It's probably the only reason I passed my NEWTs._

 _Also, please don't pitch yourself off the Astronomy Tower. I don't want to have to be the one to come over there and scrape you off the ground."_

Harry was considering erasing the last part. He ran his hand over his forehead absently. Sometime, he swore he had phantom pains in his scar. Ginny had reassured him time and time again that he was fine, perhaps nothing more than sinus pain was afflicting him. He visited the clinic at the aurors' office but even they cleared him and said he looked fine. Harry scoffed at the idea of wasting galleons just to be told that he had insomnia.

"Hey, are you three coming in or what?" Ginny called out into the yard. It was the Potters turn to house-sit the Burrow while Molly and Arthur were on their annual trip to Romania to see Charlie, though the Granger-Weasley gang had tagged along to keep them company. Ron was busy helping to set the table, though was more of a nuisance than anything.

"Did Uncle Harry ever tell you about when Lena broke my face? God, still haven't gotten back at her for that." Teddy mused, resting his borrowed broomstick inside the door of the Burrow. Lily Luna and Hugo were in his pursuit. "She's not going to live it down, though."

"I heard you fell thirty feet because of it." Hugo mentioned.

"Yeah, but I didn't hit the ground. I'm sure Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny have more interesting quidditch stories, though."

"I'm assuming you're all capable of making your own sandwiches, yes? We can have something more substantial for dinner." Hermione asked. She had tasked it upon herself to do the grocery shopping despite her busy work schedule and the offers of the others while the family was staying there. She had already made it clear that she was staking her claim as the leader of the house.

"Auror work?" Teddy asked curiously, looking over his godfather's shoulder.

Harry looked up at the boy. If he had taken his glasses off, he could've mistaken his for a younger Remus with black hair. He sounded too much like a younger version of his father that it was startling. "Yeah, you can thank your mum for that, by the way." Harry folded up the letter.

"When's her baby due again?" Lily Luna asked.

"I dunno. Just about any day now, I think." Teddy said, smoothing out the girl's hair. She was a ginger and a spitting image of Ginny herself, though a bit more girlish than Ginny had prepared herself for. She was less quidditch-ly inclined than her brothers, but she loved it nonetheless. Her broomstick was muchtaller than she was. Her parents let her graduate to a better model at her last birthday, though Ginny seemed more enthused than Harry was. At least she wasn't crashing into the sides of the house anymore.

"Are you and Tori gonna have babies one day?"

"Uh, no." Teddy shook his head. "Not in a million years."

"Lily, I told you that you need to put on sunscreen before you go outside." Harry sighed. "You're as fair skinned as your mother, it'll blister you out there."

His daughter's face was a flushed red. She gave him a big grin. "I'm okay! Oh, look, Teddy said my front tooth got loose when I fell down!" She gestured to her wiggling tooth with her tongue.

Harry nodded apprehensively. "You fell?"

"Off her feet, not her broomstick." Teddy added quickly. He knew how overprotective Harry could be with his kids, sometimes even going as far as to project it onto Teddy and Elena. "But it was pretty loose to begin with. Maybe Uncle Ron could pull it for you if you want."

Lily cringed, turning to her smiling uncle. "Ewww."

Harry chuckled, dropping his quill on the table. "Be careful out there, Lily, someone might mistake you and Teddy to be twins."

Lily thought for a second. "That'd be a lot of fun. I wish I could change my hair whenever I wanted. I'd make it pink like Auntie Dora's."

"Mum was talking the other day about some work she had in Diagon Alley. Apparently there was a string of burglaries in the past couple of weeks?" Teddy mentioned. "Or a string of reports anyways."

"Beginning of the school year, the streets are crowded. People get the idea that they can act however they want." Ron brought up.

Harry took a second look at Teddy. He was in bad need of a hair cut, and a few extra hours of sleep wouldn't have hurt him. "Did your lip hurt much?" Teddy touched his bottom lip. It was still a bit swollen from his new piercing. This now came to a grand total of three on each ear, plus the single one he got to match Victoire, the closed up one of his nose, the one in his eyebrow, and now one in his lip.

"Hugo, Lily, can you go wash your hands please?" Hermione asked. Hugo stalked off the the bathroom, but his counterpart stayed to listen.

"Don't tell me you did this one yourself, did you?" Harry coaxed.

"Okay, then I won't." Teddy said bluntly.

 _"Teddy-"_

"They're expensive and I don't have money, but I have the needles so I did it myself, it wasn't that bad!"

"Can you pierce my ears?" Lily Luna wondered though she was ignored. Harry gave his godson a disapproving look.

"I clean almost it three times a day, it's not going to get infected." Teddy said frankly. "It's not like a gave myself a stick and poke."

There was a moment of silence.

"Teddy, did you give yourself a stick and p-"

"Even if I _did-"_

 _"Teddy!"_

"What's a stick and poke?" Lily wondered. She looked to her father, but his head was in his hands.

"A tattoo." Harry mumbled. "And does your mum know about all of this?"

Teddy treading carefully around the topic. "Yes, she knows that I gave myself a tattoo and she said as long as it's not on my face, neck, or hands, it's okay."

Harry nodded. "And what did you give yourself?"

Teddy rolled up his sleeve so that he could both see. It was a short collection of symbols right below his elbow. "I got the design from Ancient Runes."

"You did translate it, right?" Harry wondered. "It _is_ appropriate, right?"

"Yeah, I thought really long and hard about it and I knew the only thing I wanted was a tattoo that just says, ' _fuck_ ' but in a dead language—Harry, it's just the school motto."

"Hands, might want to go wash them." Ginny persuaded her daughter, who was giggling at her cousin's swearing. Lily finally agreed and trailed up the stairs. Ron was trying to hide his own smile at the boy's antics. Harry just looked increasingly worried by the second. "So, Teddy, Bill said you and Victoire have a date set for the wedding, yeah?"

"Yeah. The middle of next June." Teddy nodded. He dodged his aunt and made his way over to the counter to fix his lunch.

"Any ideas on what you're going to do?" Ginny wondered.

"Nah, I thought I'd leave it up to her to pick out all the big things. I'm not too picky." Teddy shrugged. "Fleur or Mum'll both want a say in it and I don't mind all that much."

"You say that now." Ginny rolled her eyes. "Our mum was nearly insufferable with all of our weddings."

Teddy nodded. "It's not that big of a deal for me. I just want Victoire to be happy. That'd be fine with me."

"Have you heard back from your job applications?" Hermione wondered.

"Yeah, a few of them got in touch with me. They're done with their summer internship program, but they're starting training for their curse breakers. I think my name was on the bottom of the list because I didn't spend the summer over there, but they owled me and said I got accepted. So thanks, everyone, for all your recommendations."

"So you're going to be a curse breaker now, huh?" Ron wondered.

"Maybe, I dunno." Teddy shrugged. "I'll figure it out eventually."

Hermione pursed her lips. "You don't have to do things just to make people happy-"

"'Mione-" Ron stopped her.

"No, it's okay." Teddy shook his head, having a seat at the table. "I know I don't. I'm not trying to. I'm just trying to figure out what I want to do. I'll either like it or I won't. I can always try again somewhere else at the D.M.L.E. My test scores were all pretty good."

"I know the Prophet is always looking for people in the mail room, should anything happen in the future." Hermione said thoughtfully. Ron gave her an annoyed glance. "But I think law enforcement is a good place for you to start. I've not seen you in combat, but not everythis is combat related over there. Memory erasure, improper use of magic, muggle artefacts... those sound like just as good fits as the auror program."

"Thanks." Teddy nodded awkwardly. It was hard to be an outlier in a family with so many successful people in it. The only people that hadn't made him feel so pressured about it were Ron and George, both informing him that they always needed extra hands at the joke shop during the holiday seasons. The conflicting messages were nearly driving him mad.

"You'll figure it out. Not everyone gets it right on the first try." Ron reminded the boy.

xxxxx

"Are you _sure_ you want to do that?" Dominique crossed her arms.

Elena was sitting in front of the large mirror in the prefect's bathroom in a large t-shirt and her pajama pants. Since she was a child, she had always prided herself on taking care of her hair. Even when it was thin and brittle at times, even when she bleached the lower part of it, she tried her best to maintain what she could control, growing it down to the middle of her back. Now, she had it separated into two pigtails, a pair of scissors already primed to cut them at her neck. The scissor snapped closed around her hair. "Too late now." She didn't think about it as she went at it.

Dominique watched as she worked, long sections of hair falling into her lap. "So what's going on with you? Why are you acting so weird lately?"

"What?"

"You're acting weird!" Dominique said louder.

"No I'm not." Her friend mumbled.

"Yeah, you're right, you're having a complete come apart." Dominique stepped closer to her. Elena didn't look sad or worried, just very focused on her project. "So first you hexed a kid, you say you don't want to be quidditch captain, then you won't even talk to me when I say hello to you, and now you're chopping all your hair off. You've skipped, what, three Charms classes now and we're barely in the first month? What is going on? Is this about what Teddy said about putting you in the hospital-"

"I don't understand." Elena was finishing her second pigtail. "What's the big deal?"

"Elena, seriously, I _know_ you. When have you ever been this impulsive before?"

"I'm not being _impulsive."_ She combed her fingers through the front of her hair, making it hang in her eyes.

 _"Don't_ give yourself bangs. _Lena-"_ The scissors were already chopping again.

"Besides, you said it yourself over the summer. We're done. You're mad at me and you don't want anything to do with me." Elena announced.

"I never said that!" Dominique said defensively. "I told you that I care about you! I said that you're _sick._ I think we all bloody know well and good that you're sick!"

Elena whipped her head around. "You've already yelled at me over this! _Teddy_ and my _mum_ , they've all yelled at me over this! I'm sorry, but maybe for _five fucking minutes_ I want to be allowed to be sad about something without people jumping down my throat about it!"

"For crying out loud, is _this_ the sort of tantrum you're going to throw anytime someone confronts you about your problems? Would you have been happier if we let you starve? Would _that_ have made you _happy?_ Would you feel _better_ if we all just _ignored_ you?"

"You're already ignoring me! Seems like everyone is!" Elena protested. Her eyes were furiously filling with tears. "Maybe if being sick wasn't the only thing to ever make people care about me, then yeah! Maybe I'll just keep doing it!"

"When have any of us ever _ignored_ you, Lena?" Dominique demanded.

"I dunno, the second I move out and my mum's already trying to replace me with a new baby..." A lump was growing in her throat. "And everyone's making such a big deal out of Teddy and Victoire's wedding and it's not even Christmas yet-"

"Oh, not _this_ again, Lena, their relationship was never about trying to hurt your feelings! Not _everything_ has to be about you-"

"I _know_ that, alright!" Elena snapped, jumping to her feet. "But maybe you could stop and think for a second about the fact that no one even blinked an eye when I became prefect! No one _cared_ when I made the quidditch team, or when I made _four_ O's on my OWLs. It's like... I could jump up and down in a crowd of people and no one would even notice me, would they? But _oh no,_ if Teddy's hair looks a few shades off today it's like suddenly everyone flocks around him with advice on what to do, and how to feel better."

"None of that is true and you damn well know it." Dominique reached out her arm. "You know people care about you. I've wanted to help you, but not when you act like you don't want to be helped."

"Don't touch me. Please." Elena urged. A thought suddenly struck her and pain shot through her chest. "Who did you tell?"

"What?"

"A few weeks ago, I was talking to this girl in the hallway. She said that _'everyone knew I was...'_ " Her voice got stuck in her throat.

"Well, yeah, I guess people start talking when a girl on the quidditch team gets as skinny as you." Dominique said bluntly. "I guess it's better than speculating that you got bitten or something."

"No, I meant about _us._ And besides, can I at least get a little bit of credit here? I promised my mum I'd eat three meals a day, and look, I'm trying _really hard to get over this!"_ Elena butted in. "I meant, with you and me, did you tell? We promised not to tell anyone. Teddy and Victoire were the only ones who knew."

"I didn't tell anyone." The other girl shrugged.

There was a growing sense of panic in Elena. She rubbed her hand nervously over her face. "Oh no, oh god, what are people saying about me? Are they talking bad about me?"

"Um... I seriously don't think anyone knows anything."

"But there was this girl in the hallway, what's her name... she's a seventh year? She got held back? She said everyone thinks I'm..." her voice dropped down to almost an incoherent mumble. "...gay."

Dominique's eyes shifted. "Uh, first off, I don't understand why _that's_ the rumour that upsets you and not the one where you get sick and _die,_ but that's your choice I suppose. And secondly, who even cares? You don't want to be prefect, you don't want to be quidditch captain, what reputation are you so scared of losing?" She shook her head. "And _third_ of all, _where_ would that even come up from? I got asked out by one of the guys in my study group, he clearly didn't know anything about you, so obviously not _that many_ people are bringing it up."

"Did you tell him anything? Did you say we had-"

Dominique but her lip. "No, but I _did_ let him take me out. But like... that doesn't cancel you out or whatever, so don't let it hurt your feelings. I just thought you made it abundantly clear that we're done and I'm _sorry_ if that hurts your feelings, but I've got a life too, you know."

"No, I get it." Elena tried to soften her voice. "I just want to know why she would say something like that. I mean, yeah, it's one thing to call me a half-breed, like everyone already knows that, but it's another to start up something that's actually true, I mean that's just plain _creepy."_

"Look, if she was trying to bully you, she was going to call you names until one of them stuck. Don't let it get to you." Dominique said. "And please don't think I'm abandoning you, really, you're still my best friend. You've still been my best friend for years now, I don't care what kind of a history we had. And I'm not abandoning you, either. If I was abandoning you, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"I... think that it's great that you're getting out too." She sighed, unable to completely shrug off her doubts about everything. "It doesn't explain anything though. Then again, she was trying to sneak past the portrait. She was just... she was acting weird to begin with."

Dominique looked at the pile of hair on the floor. "Are you feeling better now?"

"Not really." Elena looked in the mirror. "But could you tell me if it looks uneven in the back?"

Dominique yanked the scissors out of her hand. "Sit back down. You're too tall for me."


End file.
